


The Sea and The Sky

by Caligacal



Category: Jacksepticeye (RPF), Markiplier (RPF), Septiplier-Fandom, Youtube RPF
Genre: Abduction, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe- Fictional Islands, Aviskin!Mark, Drama & Romance, Draylisadick, Forbidden Love, Internal Conflict, M/M, Magic, Mark Fischbach - Freeform, Markskindofanassinthebeginning, Merrow Sean McLoughlin, Merrow!Jack, Merrows (Mermaids), Minor Sexual Harassment, Minor Violence, Ocean, Original Character(s), Pirates, Prince Sean McLoughlin, Sassy Felix, Sean McLoughlin - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2018-09-23 00:21:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 48,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9631421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caligacal/pseuds/Caligacal
Summary: Sean McLoughlin, better known as Jack, is a Merrow living in the sea just off the coast of the fabled island Lezeke. He's restless, irritated, and yearning for something more. Yet his family disapproves of his adventurous ways, and they fear for his safety. After a close call with curious and greedy humans, Jack is saved by a creature he's never seen nor heard of before. An ancient prophecy among his people warns him to stay away from this savage monster of the sky, yet he finds himself attracted to the beast.Will he be able to overcome his heart's yearnings and save the island, or will he fall into a pool of amber eyes and burning emotions? Can the Merrow resist this being before it's too late?





	1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

_Oh! Why, hello there. You must be here because you’re interested in the story of the Sea and the Sky. I must say, it is a wonderful tale. Well, sit down, would you? I’d love to tell it to you._

_..._

_There, perfect! Are you comfortable? Perhaps you would like some tea? Maybe a blanket?_

_…_

_No? Alright then. On with the story…_

\----

There is a place, far, far away. A chain of islands, each separated by many miles, called the Isle of Sumotra. There are five islands in total, each with their own intricate ecosystem and species. On each of these islands live several species of creatures that usually only exist in one’s imagination. But not in this story.

On the most eastern island, one commonly called Lezeke, is where our story takes place.

Lezeke. Known for its beautiful beaches and magnificent cliffs. It has many variations of birds and island mammals, and yet it also has a secret. While on the surface it may look like a normal island in the middle of nowhere, it has a dark secret. One that hides in the lone volcano that was once active, but is now an empty shell. A secret that could destroy the entire Isle.

The main inhabitant of the Lezeke island is the creature called a _Merrow_. Well, they inhabit the ocean surrounding the island anyway.

The Merrow is truly a fascinating being, a subspecies of mermaid. They are the closest resemblance to humans of the mermaid breed, both physically and mentally. These creatures are quite the social bunch, and they enjoy their drink and song. Their powerful fish-like tails give them the ability to swim at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. Most Merrows’ tails are a unique color, varying from black to bright yellow, a color that best defines who they are.

Another creature, one that actually lives on the island, is the _Venator_. This being is not truly one of wonder; it is but a common human. No fish tails or scales here. The Venators are a race of humans that have become evolved to their surroundings and are the ultimate hunting machine. They tend to hunt by the shoreline, looking for birds or large fish. While they may be skilled hunters and gatherers, it’s been said that they tend to lack the character of a human and act more like rabid howler monkeys.

And then there is the third, and final, creature of Lezeke. There is no name for this being, as they are hardly ever seen. Most of the time they are mistaken for large birds while they fly high in the sky. The only thing that is truly known about them is that they possess massive wings upon their backs. Like Merrows, the wings can be different colors. Though they tend to stay on the more all natural side of the color spectrum. Earthy browns and grays, things like that.

 

There is an ancient prophecy that circulates throughout the Merrow civilization of the island Lezeke. One that tells of great destruction and chaos: an end to the Isle of Sumotra. It goes as follows:

_When the Sea reaches up to touch the Sky,_

_And the Sky dives into the Sea,_

_Storms will gather with rage untold_

_And destruction will unfold._

_Sand and water will converge,_

_Fear itself will emerge._

_Two becomes one, one becomes two_

_The Isle of Sumotra submerged_

_All is lost, and nothing is gained_

_The hero shall be purged._

\----

_And so, dear reader, this is where I leave you. What, you thought I was going to hold your hand throughout the entire story? No, you must experience it for yourself. Now go! Dive into the story of the Sea and the Sky. I’ll see you again when the tale has finished telling itself. Perhaps you will learn something on this journey…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okaaaay, so! Hi there! If you bother to read this at all (no hard feelings if you don't), I just wanted to give a bit of background on this story and some of the creatures:  
> -The Merrow is part of Irish folklore. I've taken the myth and warped it to my liking. I can't take any credit for the name.  
> -The Venator is simply an advanced hunter, it's name literally meaning 'hunter' in Latin. I do take credit for them.  
> -The Isle of Sumotra and the islands within are of my own creation as well.  
> -The third creature (whose name has yet to be revealed) is of my own creation. The name, characteristics, everything. And I love this species like my own child X3  
> Alright, I'll shut up now. Bye~!
> 
> Leave a comment if ya feel like it! Also drop a Kudos if you feel moved to do so.  
> ~Cog


	2. Birds and Merrows...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Jack, your friendly neighborhood Merrow.

_Our story begins on a day in the middle of spring. While the morning is clear and cool, and the afternoon warm and calm, the night holds a promise of dangerous storms. One of the many secrets Lezeke has to offer will be forced into the violent gale, and upon its discovery, things will never be the same on the island._

\--------

Dawn. All was quiet, all was calm. The gray of the morning sky was a boring canvas waiting to be drowned by the sudden burst of orange from the horizon. And then there it was, a slowly growing light on the edge of the horizon that cast soft yellows and pinks across the ocean and sky.

The stale gray turned to a pale blue, and then the morning was in full swing, with a few thin white clouds rolling through the sky. The sun completed its waking up, and started its slow and steady ascent to the middle of the endless blue.

 

On the eastern shore of Lezeke, all was still. The palm trees were quiet, and the waves were only gently lapping at the sand. A few quiet gulls soared way up in the sky, searching for breakfast. It was peaceful, serene, and beautiful.

The silence was then suddenly shattered, and it seemed like the earth itself flinched. A chorus of furious squawks and screeches came from within the palms, and a flock of eight seagulls burst from the trees. 

A small brown puffball zipped about in front of them.

The seagulls screamed angrily and flew quickly after the puff. They attempted to split up and surround the thing, yet it was fast and dropped low to the sandy beach. It soared out over the water and made its escape.

Yet it was obvious that this escaping creature was not used to ocean flying. 

A small breeze caught the creature unexpectedly, and the thing squeaked in surprise as it was jerked backwards. The seagulls, born to fly over the water, swarmed the creature in an instant. For a moment it looked like they might have completely destroyed the thing and left nothing behind. Yet there was a high-pitched, effort-filled screech, and the little creature popped out from the pile of seagulls, feathers floating about it. The sea vultures scattered, all of them chasing after one seagull in particular who carried a small fish in its beak.

The little brown fluff righted itself and tried to head back towards land. But it was too small to fight the sea breeze. A strong breath of ocean air sent the creature tumbling backwards again, down towards the water. It squealed in fear and flapped its wings furiously, but it was no use.

Just before the creature hit the water, something large burst from beneath the surface. It caught the little creature in its hands and landed on a rather large and flat rock that jutted from the ocean. Water fell all around it, soaking both rock and creature.

 

It was a Merrow, a male to be exact, that had caught the creature. His bare and pale torso glistened with water under the morning sun. He blinked the water from his blue eyes and righted himself upon the rock. Once he was situated in a comfortable sitting position, he looked to his hands, which were clasped around the small creature. The Merrow could feel the thing trembling in his hands. He slowly opened them a crack and peered at the creature.

The Merrow blinked and straightened.

Peering out at him from his hands were two giant bright blue eyes. They seemed to glow with their own light. One blinked, and the other followed, just slightly delayed, and a small and timid _too_ came from the creature. The Merrow opened his hands further and his eyes widened.

There, trembling in the Merrow’s palm, was a tiny owl.

Crouching in the Merrow’s hands, it seemed to be only about three inches tall. Yet as it moved its round head in a circular motion and straightened, it was at least five inches. The owl chittered quietly and cocked its head at the Merrow. Its feathers were soaked, and the Merrow couldn’t make out its true color, other than brown and white. It was probably speckled, yet it was hard to tell with the water’s influence.

The Merrow smiled softly and stroked the owl’s head gently. The bird squeaked and shrunk down, cowering against the Merrow's flesh.

“Aw it’s alright,” the Merrow cooed. “I won’t hurt ya. I promise.”

His voice held a hint of an accent, and at his words the owl perked up again, tilting its head to the side. It chirred and shifted to face the Merrow, its bright blue eyes wide. The Merrow chuckled and stroked the bird’s head again. It produced a quiet _too_ and leaned into the Merrow’s touch.

“There, see? No need to be scared.”

The Merrow continued to rub his finger across the owl’s head for another minute or two before he looked to the shore.

“So what is a little bird like you doing all the way out here?”

The owl chittered and crawled onto the Merrow’s thumb, its tiny yet sharp talons digging into his skin, but not piercing it. The Merrow gingerly lifted the bird closer to his face and studied it.

It was indeed mostly brown, with a few white specks. It’s chest was white, sprinkled with brown streaks.

“You’re a very pretty bird.” The owl ducked its head as if embarrassed and shifted its feet. The Merrow grinned and sat back, leaning on one hand.

“My name’s Jack by the way. It’s a shame I won’t get to know yours. See,” he leaned in close to the bird and dropped his voice to a whisper. “I can’t talk to birds. Only fish and other sea creatures. It’s a shame really.”

The owl cocked his head curiously and ruffled his feathers, instantly becoming a round ball of feathers. His big blue eyes made the entire image just adorable.

Letting out a loud laugh, Jack shook his head. “My, you are a cute thing!”

The owl chittered excitedly and flapped its wings. It hovered a few inches and then flapped even harder, causing it to rise further in the air. It then flew in a quick circle before stopping in front of Jack again. Chittering, the owl cocked its head and stared at him. The Merrow smirked and booped the owl on the beak.

“You’re welcome. Stay high up, the wind won’t get you near as bad up there.”

The owl clicked its beak and squeaked before flying up into the air, soon becoming only a tiny speck high up in the blue sky. It then made its way back towards the shore, Jack’s gaze trailing after it.

Yet as he kept his eyes on the little bird, he failed to notice a much larger and darker spot in the sky, way up high. It soared over the unsuspecting Merrow, casting a shadow on the water. Just as Jack turned his gaze up to the sky and away from the owl, the spot slipped behind a cloud, and disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That little owl is so freakin' adorable, it makes my heart hurt. We'll be seeing him again ;)
> 
> Feel free to comment, I love hearing from you guys! Also drop a kudos if you feel moved to do so~!  
> ~Cog


	3. A Sassy Swedish Fish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter fishy Felix

Jack let out a breath and dropped his gaze to the water. With a small grunt he pushed off the rock and dove back into the ocean. He allowed himself to sink to the sandy bottom. Once he was there, he looked around.

The rippled white sand stretched out for about a mile before dropping off a sharp shelf. The dark depths beyond that drop were mysterious to a stranger’s eye, but home to a Merrow. Several schools of brightly colored fish swam about the shallow area, darting away from the larger, lone fish that slunk in and out of the seaweed. Rocks of varying shapes, sizes, and colors littered the ocean floor, and several shells were hidden among them. Different types of coral and seagrasses gave the area even more splashes of color.

The Merrow hovered just above the floor and swiped his hand through the sand, his fingers causing it to swirl about before settling. He pulled out a small pink shell that had been buried. His blue eyes scanned the thing, and a tilted frown came over his face. With a slow shake of his head he dropped the shell, its impact on the sand sending up a small cloud of grains. He swam slowly and gracefully to a different spot and picked up a large conch shell. Turning it over in his hands, he bit his lip and his shoulders drooped. He let the shell roll out of his hands and swam back to the surface. As soon as he broke through the water, he gripped the edge of the rock and hauled himself out of the water. Once he was fully on the rock, he righted himself and faced the beach.

Jack let out a quick breath and shook his head, water droplets flying from his brown and green locks. Water ran in rivulets down his face, getting stuck in his thin facial hair before dripping from his chin into the water below. As he ran his hand through his wet hair, he shifted and brought his tail out of the water.

Jack’s tail was at least four feet long. Its emerald green scales glittered like polished jewels in the sunlight. A few random streaks of sky blue and bright yellow were littered among the green. Where the tail started at the Jack’s hips there were a few smaller scales dusted about in an uneven pattern. The end of the tail consisted of a large fin split in two. It was a shimmery pale green, that at the right angel appeared blue, and the ends were naturally frayed.

 

Jack grabbed his tail just above the fins and brought it closer to his face for inspection. His blue eyes, which seemed to mirror the ocean below him, flicked about as he studied the scales on his tail. He brushed away a few strays bits of seaweed and sand.

Seemingly satisfied after that task, Jack released his tail, flicking it once before letting it drop back into the water. It landed in the ocean with a _spaloosh_. Jack watched all the little bubbles rush to the surface before they disappeared. He flicked his tail back and forth lazily in the water, watching the frayed ends dance, his face becoming a mask of boredom.

As he did so, a sigh escaped him.

_It’s the same everyday_ , he thought. _Wake up and sneak out before anyone else rises. Come here. Do one of the few things that makes me feel happy and horrible at the same time. Collect meaningless objects to try and fill the void. Then go back home and come up with another excuse as to where I’ve been._

Jack groaned and flopped onto his back, closing his eyes against the bright sun. The cool rock against his skin was refreshing, yet it failed to ease his frazzled mind. He draped an arm over his eyes.

“I hate this place…”

 

“Oh really?”

Jack jumped and shot up, his eyes wide and a jolt of adrenaline firing through his system.

Yet his nerves were instantly soothed as he saw a familiar face staring at him from the water. Trembling slightly from the adrenaline, Jack scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Felix,” he muttered, fixing the Merrow in front of him with a harsh stare. “I thought you didn’t want to come up here.”

Felix smirked and skimmed his hands on the surface of the water, watching the ripples he produced as he spoke.

“I never do, but when your brother personally asks me to come find you, I can’t really refuse.” The blonde lifted his gaze to Jack and fixed him with his pale blue eyes.

Jack tensed and gave his friend a suspicious glare. _That’s never a good thing_ , he thought. 

“What do you mean? Why did my brother ask you to find me?”

The blonde Merrow chuckled and swam closer to the rock. Jack scowled at him and drew his tail up underneath him, getting it out of Felix’s reach.

Felix gripped the rock’s edge and hauled himself partially out of the water. He folded his arms on the rock and leaned heavily against them. As he did so, some of his tail became visible. The vibrant pale blue scales glittered in the bright sun and sent small blue reflections bouncing off the rock and water. He met Jack’s gaze and grinned at his disapproving look.

“Malcolm figured out you were missing. He had a sneaking suspicion you might be ‘exploring’ again, so he sent me to come find you. Apparently your father wants to see you.”

At this Jack winced and dropped his gaze to the water. His brow furrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest. The sun suddenly didn’t feel so warm anymore.

“You…,” he looked back at Felix. “You didn’t tell him anything, right?”

“About what? Your daily rule breaking, or your fascination with males?”

Jack’s face immediately flushed red and he angrily swatted at Felix. “S-Shut up you gurrier! I’m serious!”

Felix easily dodged and snorted with laughter. “No, I didn’t mention anything.”

Jack growled and crossed his arms again. “Tell him you couldn’t find me.”

The blonde sighed and ran a hand over his face. “You know I can’t do that. Besides, you’re lucky Malcolm sent me. Susan was bent on sending out Drayl.”

At that name Jack shuddered. Drayl was his father’s personal guard, and he wasn’t the nicest Merrow around. Plus there was a rumor that he had an infatuation with Jack.

Jack closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. _Goddamnit Felix. You couldn’t have waited another hour?_

He opened his eyes with a disgruntled sigh. “Fine. Just give me a few minutes. I’ll be there shortly.”

Felix raised a questioning brow. “Promise?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Yes, now leave me be.”

The blonde snorted with laughter and pushed away from the rock. Before he was too far away, he reached out and smacked Jack's tail. Jack yelped and glared at his friend. Felix laughed out loud before he slid under the water with a quick flick of his tail. Water splashed up onto Jack, and he growled as he wiped it out of his eyes.

_He did that on purpose, goddamn him._

Once the Merrow was gone, Jack huffed and looked back towards the beach. The waves were now steadily rolling onto the sand, and a slight breeze was making the palm leaves sway. His blue eyes trailed over to the north, and there he could just barely make out the silhouette of a massive ship on the horizon.

 

Jack knew it carried humans. He wasn’t sure what kind of humans, but he knew they weren’t exactly normal. But hey, what could he say, he'd never met a human before in his life! 

The humans often docked just off the shore, and then took small boats the rest of the distance to the island. Once they landed, groups of three or four would split up and venture off into the trees. They usually came back around dusk, and then they would go back to their ship and disappear for a few weeks. Then they would show up and do the same thing over again.

The Merrow often sat and watched them. He would wonder in awe of what they were unloading in large wooden crates, and then ponder over what they seemed to be searching for.

It was these humans that gave Jack something to do. He looked forward to their every visit. There were times when he worked up the nerve to swim closer, but he never went far from his rock. He partially feared the beach and its lack of water, and these humans were strange to him.

 

Jack bit his lip as he watched the ship. Perhaps he would be able to come back later to see the humans. It had been about a month since their last visit, and Jack wasn’t sure he could wait very long for their next one.

The Merrow shook his head. _I’d better go. The sooner I get this taken care of, the sooner I can get back._

With that Jack turned around and slid into the water.

 

Aboard the ship, a tall, muscular man with a large black beard peppered with gray slowly lowered a well-used spyglass from his eye. His sea-weathered face was set in a devilish smirk. A large, wide brimmed hat, weathered and sun-bleached to a stale slate gray, rested on his head at an angle. His dark brown eyes glittered, despite being in the shadow of his hat’s brim. He snapped the spyglass to its portable state and tucked it into the folds of his black knee-length coat. A quiet chuckle rumbled deep in his chest.

Next to him stood a shorter, portly man with a clean-shaven face. He wore large spectacles that magnified his blue eyes and a pith helmet on his head. Draped over his shoulder and resting against his hip was a large bag, bulging with its contents.

The men stood there for a moment, the smaller one occasionally rocking with the ship’s movements. It was he who spoke first.

“Was it there?”

The bearded fellow nodded.

“Aye. He be there. Watchin’ us as usual.”

The smaller man pushed up his glasses and clicked his tongue. “It’s a shame we can’t follow it. It would make a marvelous specimen in the museum.”

Again the bearded man chuckled. “Never said it was impossible, Steels. We’ll get ‘im.”

He turned sharply on his heel and walked away, his boots making a loud thunk with each step. Steels turned to watch him leave, then looked back towards the island.

They’d be on the shore within an hour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, pirates! Also sassy Felix.
> 
> ~Cog


	4. The Dynamic Duo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we meet the cutest fish ever.

Jack swam along, moving his tail slowly up and down. He stayed close to the ocean floor, occasionally rolling over onto his back out of boredom. As he went, he watched the numerous fish swim around him. Gazing at them reminded him of his own little fish at home, and a small smile broke out over his face.

_I bet that bum is still sleeping._

Jack chuckled and scanned the sandy floor. His eyes flicked about, lazily searching for something that might tickle his fancy.

Just as he reached the dark drop-off, something caught his eye to his right. Jack turned and looked at the thing. It was waving gently in the water, partially pinned under a rock. This object seemed extremely out of place here in the ocean. Curious, Jack swam over to it and gingerly pulled it free.

It was a large feather.

_What in the world is this thing doing down here?_

The Merrow ran his hand up the feather, watching the stiff yet soft barbs move beneath his fingers. It was black, with a faded dark red tip. The quill was black close to the downy barbs, and was a faded grey at the end.

Jack turned the feather over in his hands. His eyes were glued to it. _It’s so pretty. And soft…_

He gingerly brushed his cheek with the feather. It was somewhat slimy due to the water, but Jack could still tell that it was extremely smooth and soft. His blue eyes turned up to the surface.

“I wonder how it got down here,” he murmured to himself. It was a large feather, much bigger than his own hand. It had to have come from a gigantic bird or something.

Still a bit unsure of what to make of the feather, he gripped it tight in his hand. _Might as well keep it_ , he thought. With that he turned back towards the drop and swam over the edge, diving down into the darkness.

 

As Jack swam deeper into the growing dark, he couldn’t help but feel at peace. He often relished the darkness, enjoyed its solitude. It was a pleasant break from the hubbub of the kingdom and the sunny scenery up top.

For a brief moment he was suddenly lost in the darkness, yet he didn’t worry. As he kept swimming, a mark started to form on the inside of his right forearm. It slowly began to etch itself on his skin, taking the shape of a trident. It looked as if it was well-used, with it’s rough and uneven edges. The two outside prongs turned inwards at a soft angle, towards the center prong, which was longer and had a balled tip.

Once the mark formed completely, it began to glow a pale green. As Jack went along, it began to glow brighter. Soon it was bright enough to light his way through the darkness.

The beacon on his arm suddenly illuminated a massive rock wall in front of him. Jack swam right for it and slid through a large crevice in the wall. He then came out on the other side, and was surrounded by seaweed.

The Merrow swam through the seaweed forest, the light on his arm guiding his way. He then suddenly dove straight down, going about twenty feet deeper. Then he leveled out and broke through the curtain of green.

Standing before him was an underwater kingdom.

It was an enormous coral reef, with one bunch in particular shaped like a stereotypical castle. The tall towers reached up towards the surface, which was hidden from sight. Littered around the castle was numerous smaller coral buildings. Different colored lamps glowed brightly anywhere the eye could see, illuminating the entire area. Overall the place had a mystical and warm feel to it.

 

Jack swam above all the buildings, making a beeline for the castle. Looking down, he saw many other Merrows going about their daily tasks. A few he recognized, others he didn’t.

As he approached the castle, the mark on his arm lost its glow, and turned black. Now it just appeared to be a regular tattoo.

The Merrow swam up to one of the tallest towers and looked around. No one seemed to notice him. Gripping the feather he’d found tightly to his chest, he slipped through a large gap in the coral that served as a window.

Jack sighed as he came to a stop in his room. He turned around and quickly drew the seaweed curtains over his window, hiding himself from the outside world. He then turned back into his room and looked around.

The walls and floor were a cobalt blue, made of solid coral. A plush bed with a blue duvet sat on his right, while a wardrobe and vanity station sat on his left. Jack ignored all these things and instead swam over to a small box tucked in the corner of the room on his right.

It was a perfectly square thing, made from wood that Jack had found near a sunken ship. A large hole was cut in the center, and as Jack got closer, he could see a little green tail hanging out. He also heard soft snores, and an occasional trail of bubbles would come out of the box.

Jack chuckled and peered inside.

Lying on a plush pillow was a green fish. He was round and rather large, with no definition between head and body. Two fins rested on his sides, while an eel-like tail stretched out behind him. Blue stripes ran down the length of his body, and the top of his head was sprinkled with blue dots.

The fish was sleeping peacefully, its body moving with each breath it took. Jack smiled and poked the fish gently.

“Sam. Sam it’s time to wake up,” he said gently.

Sam gurgled and rolled over, obviously trying to ignore the Merrow. Jack smirked and tucked the feather under a pillow on his bed before picking up the fish. He was about six inches in diameter, and about a foot long, tail included.

Jack picked him up with both hands and held him away from his body. Sam purred and groggily opened his eyes.

Well, his one giant blue eye.

Sam blinked and stretched, his tail straightening stiffly before relaxing and becoming limp. He blinked again and then focused on Jack. The fish gurgled happily and wiggled in Jack’s hands.

The Merrow chuckled and hugged the fish to his chest. Sam snuggled against him and purred.

“Good morning to you too.”

Sam gurgled and Jack released him. The fish swam in a tight circle before stopping in front of Jack’s face, his fins waving gently at his sides and his tail wiggling behind him.

“Yeah, I’m a bit hungry too. Shall we see what the kitchen saved for us?”

The fish did a quick flip and purred. Jack chuckled and swam over to the door, Sam right beside him. He gingerly opened the door and peered out into the hall. There was no one there.

Jack glanced at his companion and nodded, before the two of them swam out, Jack closing the door behind them.

 

High in the sky, way above the ocean and the island, a flock of seagulls soared about. They flew in wide, lazy circles, their beady black eyes scanning the earth below in search of food. Some floated effortlessly on the warm drafts of air before swooping down to fly in another circle. It was a rather peaceful moment for the birds. 

Suddenly, a large blur of black and red shot through the flock of seagulls. The birds screamed in terror before scattering, their shrill cries piercing the air as they fled.

The blur zipped after one of the fleeing birds, and easily caught it. The seagull screeched and struggled furiously. It called for its friends, but it was too late. In an instant the bird’s neck was snapped, and it fell limp in the blur’s grip. The blur then turned sharply and soared towards the island. It shot into the palm trees, and quickly latched onto one. It slid down the tree, sharp claws peeling the bark. The large mass of the thing made the tree bend and groan under its weight. Yet as the creature came to a stop halfway down the trunk, the tree righted itself and was still.

The creature, hidden by the shadows of the thick leafy canopy, snorted. It brought the dead bird close to its face and studied it. With a quiet grumble it shifted its grip from the bird’s neck to its feet. Then it began to bash the seagull violently against the tree.

The creature didn’t stop until the bird was almost red with its own blood and the tree had trails of red running down to the ground below. It then dropped the mutilated bird. As the carcass hit the ground, the creature huffed with satisfaction. It then looked to the north. With a growl it pushed away from the tree, the wind whooshing around it aggressively.

In a matter of seconds the creature was at a different tree, clinging to its trunk and peering out at the northern sea. It’s sharp black claws dug into the bark, leaving deep puncture wounds that would most definitely scar. It glared at the approaching ship only a few miles out from the shore. A low and menacing growl oozed from the creature’s chest. Then suddenly, bright, burning amber eyes shone in the semi-darkness. Their eerie glow illuminated some of the creature's humanesque facial features. Again the creature growled, and then it turned away, launching itself from the tree. It fled deeper into the trees, and disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That poor bird o-o  
> But Sam though, I imagine him sounding a bit like baby Saphira from the _Eragon_ movie. So cute  >w<
> 
> ~Cog


	5. Nosebleeds and Doors

Jack and Sam managed to make it to the castle’s kitchen without being spotted. The duo slipped through the swinging double doors into the bustling atmosphere and looked around. Numerous Merrows were ushering about, busy with their work. Some were mixing large bowls of stuff, others were washing dishes, and a few were tending to stoves and ovens, which were powered by volcanic tubes. Jack ducked out of the way and dodged a few busy Merrow who were in the process of preparing lunch.

Sitting on a stool against the far wall was an elderly Merrow with a short white beard and a bald head. His nose was buried in a newstablet and his soft yellow tail rested against the polished floor of the kitchen.

Sam swam right up to him and nudged the newstablet, catching the Merrow’s attention. He looked up from his reading, and at the sight of the green fish and Jack, a smile broke out over his face.

“Ah, Prince Sean,” he said with a chuckle. “What brings ye to my kitchen?” His violet eyes glittered as he spoke.

Jack waved his hand and smirked. “Please Gaston you know to just call me Jack. Prince Sean is _way_ too formal.”

Gaston chuckled again, and rose from his stool. “Righto. So, my guess is ye be needin’ some food then?”

Sam churred noisily and did a flip. Gaston snorted with laughter as he poked at the excited fish. “Sam here’s quite hungry! Ye were out and about again weren’t ye Jack?”

Jack nodded and crossed his arms sheepishly. “Yeah. Just needed to stretch my fins I guess.”

“Boy ye stretch yer fins every morn’,” Gaston accused as he went to an unoccupied counter and opened a cupboard full of different prepared food. “When’s the last time ye had a proper breakfast with yer family?” 

The young prince shrugged and scratched his head. “Uh, a couple weeks ago?”

Gaston snorted and shook his head as he put some parcels of food in a bag. “Jack, ye need to be hangin’ ‘round here more. I think yer nephew and niece miss ye. Whenever their mother brings them by they always ask if I’ve seen ye.” He turned and handed the bag of food to Jack.

The young Merrow winced at the mention of his brother’s children. “I’ll be sure to see them today.”

“Ye better,” Gaston said scornfully. “Those children need to see their youngest uncle. Ye be one of the only people in the palace they can relate to.”

Jack nodded. “I understand, thanks Gaston.” He lifted his bagged breakfast in a farewell. Gaston waved him off with a grumble, which made the young Merrow chuckle. Then he made his way back through the crowded space towards the doors. Sam stayed close to the bag, occasionally sniffing it.

 

It was on his way back to his room in a large hall that he saw his oldest brother, Malcolm, swimming towards him. At his side was Felix.

Jack groaned internally and came to stop as Malcolm and Felix drew closer. Sam gurgled in disappointment and nudged the bag.

Felix smirked and swam right up to him. Jack felt like hitting him just for the hell of it.

“Took you long enough,” the blonde said quietly. “Malcolm about skinned me when I came back without you.”

Yet Jack ignored his friend and instead looked to his brother.

Malcolm came to a stop before them and crossed his arms over his chest. His dark blue eyes were calm yet intense. He slowly moved his tail to keep him in place, the sapphire blue scales gleaming after their daily polish. In the bright lighting of the palace, Jack could clearly see the purple streaks within the blue. 

For a moment neither brother said a word. They just stared at each other. It was Malcolm who finally spoke first.

“So, where were you?”

It was a simple question, with no tone of beratement or disappointment.

Jack turned his head to the side and avoided Malcolm’s gaze. “Just out,” he said coolly.

At this Malcolm let out a breath through his nose and shook his head, his white and gray beard moving with his actions. “I understand if you don’t want to tell me. But at least tell Father and Mother the truth. They’ve been worried sick.”

Jack shot his brother a quick glare. “Fine. Did Father want to see me?”

Malcolm nodded. “In fact he did. He’s in his room.”

“Thanks,” Jack mumbled. He brushed past his brother, Sam hot on his heels, and swam quickly for his room.

Behind him Felix and Malcolm exchanged glances. Felix shrugged while Malcolm shook his head. The blonde then went after his friend, while Malcolm made his way towards the library, a troubled look on his face.

 

Jack stormed into his room, throwing the door open, and tossed the food on his bed. Sam immediately dove for it and wiggled inside. He rummaged around before backing out of the bag with his tail wrapped around a tiny fish. He squeaked excitedly and hurried over to his box where he disappeared.

Jack slammed the door shut and huffed. As he sat on his bed, he snatched the bag onto his lap and dug around furiously. Pulling out a funky-looking purple pastry, he popped it in his mouth and chewed vigorously.

_I don’t need to tell them anything_ , he thought angrily. _I’m old enough to handle myself. You’d think after 23 years they’d understand I’m not some tame goldfish they can keep in a bowl._ He snatched another pastry and took his anger out on it. As he went to swallow, the chewed mush got stuck, and Jack had to hit his chest a few good times in order to get it down.

Once he did, he let out a breath and flopped back onto the bed. He let himself sink into the softness for a moment. A nap did sound nice. But if he did sleep, then he’d miss the humans as they unloaded their boats.

_The humans!_

Jack popped up, his green hair dancing above his head at the sudden movement, his anger immediately dissipating. He turned to the window and zipped over to it, throwing back the curtains.

The town below was still bustling and all aglow with the strange lights. Jack looked to a massive clock tower that stood on the edge of town. It showed that about thirty minutes had passed since he’d left the rock.

The Merrow shut the curtains and looked to the door of his room.

_I could go speak to Father. Get this thing over with, although it’ll make no difference. But, maybe I can have the rest of the day to myself if I go now._

Then he grimaced as he thought about what that geezer Gaston had said. _My nephew and niece. I really should see them. Perhaps I can do that later this evening._

With that thought, he made his way towards the door. Just as he went to open it though, it burst open on its own.

Caught off guard, Jack couldn’t react quick enough to get out of the way. The door smacked him square in the face, and sent him reeling backwards, his hands immediately going to cover his nose.

Felix popped his head around the door and looked around. “Bro was that your head or a rock?!”

Jack pulled his hands away from his face and found them tinted with red. Blood danced in the water in front of his eyes as he glared at Felix.

“Oh shit I’m so sorry!” Felix quickly swam over and began to fret over him. “Oh man that’s a lot of blood. Did it hit you right in the nose or kinda on the side?” Another glare from Jack made him clear his throat. “Alright then, I think it’s time we went to see the healer.”

“No,” Jack said quickly, his hand cupped under his nose to catch some of the blood. It pooled like smoke in his palm, and turned the water around them very red.

“I need to see my father right now.”

But,” Felix furrowed his brow in confusion. “You’re bleeding, a lot! Wouldn’t it be kind of rude and, I don’t know, _gross_ , to see your father like this?”

Jack shook his head, blood going everywhere. “Now Felix. I need to see him _now_.”

Felix stared at him in disbelief and concern for a moment, and then shook his head. “Fine, whatever you want, Your Highness,” he said mockingly.

With that the blonde began to escort the bleeding prince to his parents’ quarters.

 

As they moved slowly down the hall, a trail of blood followed them. Once they reached the massive doors that led to the King and Queen’s chambers, Jack was looking a little pale. Yet he knocked on the door and stood proudly. Well, as proudly as he could with his hand under his nose full of blood.

The door opened a crack, and a harsh brown eye glared out at them. At the sight of Jack, it widened and the door was opened fully.

It revealed a muscular Merrow, with a blood-red tail and a close-shaven head. His brown eyes looked Felix and Jack up and down before he raised a brow.

“What in the world happened to you?” He asked as he crossed his arms over his bare muscular chest.

Felix rolled his eyes. “I hit him with a door.”

Jack glanced at his friend and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, he’s an idiot.”

The red Merrow shook his head and sighed before he swam to the side and gestured for the two to come in. They quickly swam through the door and made a beeline for the center of the room.

The Royal chamber was large and exquisite. With a curtained hallway that led from the door, it was a grand surprise to see the main room. It was tall and very wide, with a massive bed with the finest of furnishings. The windows were tall and looked over the entire town, and provided great lighting. There were four other doors, two of which were closets and the other two being “bathing” chambers.

Yet Felix and Jack weren’t concerned with the room at all. They were focused on a fit man well past his fifties who was seated at a large desk hunched over some thin stone tablets with writing on them. His elegant fin was resting neatly beside him, the literal rainbow of colors sparkled like the finest of gems.

Jack swam right up to him while Felix respectively hung back a bit, the red Merrow at his side.

The young prince quickly cleared his throat to get his father’s attention. The King blinked and looked up from his work. His blue eyes widened as they fixated on his youngest and bleeding son.

“Sean what on earth-!” 

He quickly yet gently grabbed Jack’s wrist and pulled his hand away from his face. Jack smirked and tried to avoid getting blood in his mouth as he spoke.

“Hey, um, Felix hit me with a door, no big deal.” He chuckled as his dad gave him a questionable look and began to study Jack’s nose. “Um Dad I have to talk to you about something,” Jack continued.

“I think it can wait Sean,” the King cut in immediately. “You need to see Signe right now. Drayl,” he motioned for the red Merrow to come forward. “Take Sean to the infirmary. Make sure he doesn’t leave until this bleeding has stopped.”

“Yessir.”

“But Dad-,”

“No buts. Now off you go.”

Jack looked back at Felix, desperate for help, but his friend only shrugged.

He then looked to Drayl, who was waiting for him to start moving. With a defeated sigh, Jack cupped his nose again and went to leave the room. Drayl swam next to him, and Felix went to do the same.

“Felix!”

All three of them stopped and looked back at the King. He was holding up a tablet and raising a brow. “I do believe I need your help with these documents.”

Felix groaned and rolled his eyes over to Jack. It was Jack’s turn to shrug, to which Felix growled and stalked over to the waiting King. With a small chuckle Jack turned back towards the door and glanced at Drayl.

The Merrow was looking straight ahead, again waiting on him. Jack rolled his eyes, yet deep down in his stomach he felt a sharp pang of fear.

 

Drayl wasn’t mean or anything. It was just a known fact among Jack’s friends that he had a “crush” on the young prince. He’d never done anything, yet there were times when Jack was unnerved by his intense and heated gaze. He couldn’t help but feel that something was going to happen in the near future.

 

Jack tried to shake off his fear and started for the door. Drayl swam by his side, at a reasonable distance, yet for Jack, it felt too close.

Drayl opened the door for Jack who thanked him and swam through. After Drayl had closed the door he went to take the lead, with Jack following.

As they headed in the direction of the infirmary, neither of them said a word. Jack kept his gaze on the floor and tried to breath around all the blood still gushing from his nose.

_I hope this goes alright…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my most favorite chapter, but hey, gotta move the story along!  
> Also yeah, Jack's 23 in this little fanfic. It fits a little better with the plot.
> 
> Thank you guys so much for all the kudos and comments! I'm having a blast with this :D  
> ~Cog


	6. Drayl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Sean, I must confess something to you.” Drayl dropped his gaze and tightened his grip on Jack’s wrist. “I know about your… preferences.”
> 
> _Shit._

It didn’t take the two Merrows long to reach the infirmary. Drayl respectively held open the door for Jack, and upon swimming through it, Jack could feel Drayl’s eyes on him. He shuddered and kept going, not waiting for the guard. Jack let out a deep breath before inhaling sharply, trying to collect himself. The flow of blood from his nose was starting to quell, but it was still hard to breathe around. Plus he felt pretty light-headed. He tried to take his mind off his condition by looking around. 

The infirmary was basically a very wide and very long hallway. Numerous beds were lined up against the walls, and there were only two doors in the whole place; the one Jack had just come through, and another at the end of the hall. Thankfully there was no one in the care of the healers at the moment, and all the beds were empty and neatly made. Their white sheets were folded back, and a grey blanket was draped off the foot of each one. Next to each bed was a nightstand, and white vases for flowers, all of them empty at the moment, adorned each nightstand. 

Jack swam right past the beds and made a beeline for the other door. He felt rather than heard Drayl closing the space between them, and Jack knew that the red Merrow was swimming uncomfortably close. The prince tried to shake of his uneasiness and kept his gaze on the door ahead of him. 

_Chill out. He’s not going to try anything. At least I hope not…_

He swam right up to the door and didn’t bother to knock. Jack turned the handle and swung the door open, desperate to find someone inside. Immediately he swam in and studied the scene he just barged in on.

 

It was a large room, with a calm and serene atmosphere, brought on by the neutral colors and dim lights. There were a few small tables nestled against the walls, and a large couch sat against the back wall. 

In the center of the room was a row of operation tables, all neat and clean. Each table was set up with its own station of lights, tools, and various other equipment. The tables surprisingly didn’t take away from the cozy atmosphere at all. On the right-hand side of the the room was another door.

 

As Jack swam in slowly and looked around, he noticed that no one else was here. The room was deserted. A little unnerved, Jack made his way to the other door and knocked. _God I hope someone is here._ He waited a few seconds, and no one answered. 

Not another soul was in the infirmary. 

A little peeved, but also freaked out of his mind, Jack turned around and huffed. Drayl entered the room as he did, and Jack dropped his gaze to the polished floor. 

“There’s no one here,” he muttered. “They must be on break or getting supplies.”

Drayl crossed his arms and looked around. “That’s unprofessional, to leave the infirmary with no one to stay behind. I’ll have to mention this to the King.”

Jack immediately lifted his gaze and eyed the guard warily. _This guy..._ “There’s no need for that. If they are just getting supplies, then there’s no reason to rat them out for it.”

The red Merrow scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Prince Sean, you’re just saying that because your friends are employed here. You don’t want them to get in any kind of trouble.” He raised a brow cockily and smirked. 

It was Jack’s turn to scoff. Yet this action caused more blood to spurt from his nose, and he cursed silently to himself. _Fucking nose..._  
“That’s absurd. I just don’t want any unnecessary drama.”

Drayl nodded and swam further into the room. “That’s understandable, but I still think otherwise.” He made his way over to a pair of cabinets on the left-hand side of the room and opened them up, searching for something. 

Jack growled and dropped his gaze back to the floor. _Damn him. He’s such a jerk, acting all cocky. I don’t understand what my father sees in him._

As Jack was lost in his angry thoughts, Drayl turned around, his arms full of different supplies. He chuckled at the prince’s obviously flustered state. With a brief shake of his head the red Merrow swam over to one of the operation tables. He set his supplies on the foot of it and then turned to Jack.

“I’ll tend to your nose for now, Prince Sean. Then once the healers return they can tend to it properly. Please, sit.” Drayl bowed slightly as he motioned to the table.

Jack glanced between Drayl and the table, not trusting him one bit. He bit his lip and turned away slightly, pondering to himself.  
_Damn it. They just_ had _to be gone! Ooh, when I see Signe and Marzia they’ll never hear the end of this!_ He looked back at Drayl, who was patiently waiting on him. 

Jack groaned internally. _I guess I have no choice. If I want any chance of seeing the humans before they leave, I have to do this._

Taking a deep breath, Jack swam over to the table and sat on it gingerly. He shuddered as his scales settled against the chilly surface.

Drayl straightened once Jack had situated himself. The red Merrow smiled softly and rummaged through his pile of supplies. “Thank you for trusting me.”

Jack rolled his eyes, not letting Drayl see it, and looked off to the side. “It’s no problem.” _Like hell it isn't!_ “A seasoned fighter like yourself should be able to efficiently handle a bloody nose.”

The prince heard the guard smirk. “That is most gracious of you. I did indeed tend to many injuries during my time in the field.” Drayl came around to face Jack and he peered into Jack’s face, studying his nose. 

Jack’s face instantly flushed and he dropped his gaze to the floor. _He… He’s not going to try anything, is he?_ He then noticeably flinched when Drayl’s thick fingers gently gripped his chin and tilted his head up. _Oh god…_

“Forgive me if I seem to be overstepping boundaries,” Drayl said, keeping up his respective tone and attitude. “But you need tending to, and this is the easiest way for me to properly inspect the wound.” His brown eyes bored into Jack’s blue, and the prince swallowed. 

“I-It is a bit uncomfortable,” Jack admitted. Drayl nodded. 

“Then I shall do my best to do that as little as possible.”

Jack nodded hesitantly, and tried to relax as Drayl moved his head to the side, all while peering at his nose. He then released Jack’s chin, muttered something to himself, and went to his pile of stuff. 

 

A few uncomfortable minutes later, Jack’s nose was clean and plugged with bandages. Each one had a special blood-stopping powder on the ends inserted in his nose, and it gave him the urge to sneeze. Yet Drayl had warned him to not give in, or else the bleeding would only get worse.

Jack poked one of the plugs and nodded slightly to himself. “Very well done. I’m impressed. Thank you.”

Drayl bowed his head. “You’re welcome. Those should stay in for quite a while, and once they feel dry, you can remove them. The bleeding should stop within the next fifteen minutes or so.”

The prince nodded in response and looked at the floor once again. _He acts nice enough, but I wonder how much of it is an act to gain my trust._ He lifted his gaze to the guard as he questioned the Merrow’s morals. 

Suddenly Drayl grimaced and faltered in his movements of picking things up. A quick, pained grunt escaped him, and he had to steady himself on the table. 

Jack stared at him, unsure of what was going on, a bit of alarm rising in his gut. “Drayl? Are you alright?”

Drayl nodded and shook his head as if to clear it of something. “Y-Yes. It’s just an old wound. I must have missed my medication time.” He winced as he pushed away from the table and went back to the cabinets. Once there he frantically rummaged through different bottles and vials, until he found a small vial that held a murky purple liquid. He held it up to the light for a moment, and then he quickly pulled the cork free from the neck and shot back the entire vile.

Jack watched in disbelief. _Did… Did he just drink that stuff?! What the heck even was it? There was no label or anything, how does he know what it was?_

Drayl let out a breath and turned back to Jack, the empty vial in hand. “My apologies. I desperately needed that.” A smile broke out over his face, and he replaced the vial in the cabinet before returning to Jack where he still sat on the table. 

The prince furrowed his brow and cocked his head slightly. “What was that stuff?”

“A special potion the head healer brewed for me. I’m familiar with its properties and where they store it here. It’s for my tail.” He motioned down to the shimmery light red fin. Jack glanced down at it and blinked. Never before had he seen Drayl’s tail this close before. And part of him regretted it. 

The right fin, somewhat similar to Jack’s own fin, was almost completely shredded. Small scars covered it, and a few holes could clearly be seen. Overall it looked like the fin had been ripped through a shark’s teeth several times. Just looking at it made Jack wince and feel sick to his stomach.

 

A Merrow’s tail is the most sensitive part of their body. Each scale is an equivalent to a human fingernail, and the fin, despite it being incredibly thin, holds millions of nerves. The nerves function as sensors that help the Merrows identify different things about their surroundings, whether the water is safe, if there’s danger nearby, things like that. To have such damage done as that which was done to Drayl’s would be unbearable. Most Merrows wouldn’t survive the pain.

And yet Drayl had. 

 

Jack tried to recall the story of the incident, but it failed to come back to him. It happened over a year ago, and Jack hadn’t really paid that much attention to the whole situation. He bit his lip and looked back up at Drayl’s face. “What happened again?”

Drayl smirked as he kept his brown eyes on his scarred tail. “It was a nasty fight with some Siorcmen. I was protecting an injured member of our team when one of the enemy ambushed me from behind. Pinned my tail to the ocean floor with a spine sword. I couldn’t remove it, so I just ripped my fin free. I managed to save my team member, and then we were victorious in driving the enemy away. At the time I couldn’t even register the pain due to all the adrenaline, but after, I thought I would die.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I was in the infirmary for a week before I could even move my tail again. Now I have phantom pains and they are often excruciating.”

The prince swallowed and looked back down at Drayl’s fin, slowly absorbing the story. “That sounds awful.”

Drayl shrugged. “It was. But it was worth it. I saved a friend, and got promoted. It all ended well.”

Jack nodded. “...Right.”

The young prince knew that the promotion was becoming his father’s personal guard. Drayl would follow the King everywhere, watching over him and acting as a silent shadow. He would be there in dangerous times, giving his own life to save the King’s when needed. 

Jack shook his head. _I’ve got to get going, or else I’m going to miss the humans._ He took a deep breath and pushed off the table, swimming calmly past Drayl towards the door. _Just keep going, just keep going, don’t stop, just keep going..._

“You have my thanks for helping me, Drayl. But I must be going now. I have a personal schedule to keep.” 

_Almost there…!_

Before Jack could get out the door and into the main hall of the infirmary, a strong grip captured his wrist. Jack tensed and whirled around, his tail curling up slightly in a defensive manner.

_Damnit._

Drayl was looking right at him, his brown eyes dark. Jack shuddered and attempted to pull his wrist free.

“Drayl-”

“Sean, I must confess something to you.” Drayl dropped his gaze and tightened his grip on Jack’s wrist. “I know about your… preferences.”

_Shit._

Jack raised a brow. “My preferences?”

“Of… Of men.”

_Double shit. I am so fucked..._

Jack’s brow shot up and he felt his face turn bright red. “E-Excuse me?”

Drayl looked back at the prince and tugged slightly on his wrist. Desperation seemed to wash over his face. “I’m sorry, I overheard Felix talking to Marzia. I just wanted to know if it was true. And from your facial expression, I’ve got my answer.” 

He smiled softly and rested his other hand on Jack’s forearm, stroking it gently, his eyes becoming soft. Jack flinched.

_Oh hell no!_

“I want you to know that if you need something regarding that matter, I’m available. I too know what you are going through and am willing to help in any way.” Drayl brought his eyes back to meet Jack’s and a more suggestive look came over his face. “And I do mean _anything_.”

The young Merrow scoffed and jerked his arm away from Drayl successfully and managed to glide back a few feet. He was disgusted and extremely pissed off, but also terrified. Drayl had confronted him about the situation, meaning he was ready to make a move. The very thought of it made Jack tremble. 

“That is none of your business, and _incredibly_ out of line,” Jack snapped, holding his arm to his chest.

Drayl crossed his arms and glared at him. “And what are you going to do about it? You can’t tell your father. He’d learn your secret then.”

Jack grimaced and turned around, angrily swimming away. “I-I will be speaking to my father about this.”

Behind him Drayl scoffed. “Right.”

 

The prince shook his head and stormed out of the infirmary into the hall. He came face-to-face with a startled Felix.

“Oh!” Felix exclaimed, jumping back as Jack zipped right past him. “How’d it go?”

Jack clenched his fists as he retreated towards his room. He didn’t bother answering his friend. The prince quickly rounded a corner and disappeared from Felix’s sight. 

The blonde blinked and shook his head. “He looked pissed,” he mumbled to himself. Felix glanced into the infirmary and saw Drayl approaching him calmly. The blonde gave him a raised brow as the guard came into the hall.

“Everything alright with our young prince?” Felix asked. He was suspicious of Drayl, and that smug look on the guard’s face didn’t help dampen such suspicion.

Drayl looked down the hall and let out a small breath. “Yes. He should be fine by this evening.”

With that the guard left, leaving Felix still surprised and suspicious. _I need to talk to Jack about this. Something obviously happened._ The blonde shook his head and followed the prince’s path. _I hope he’s alright…_

 

In his room, Jack was furiously packing up the small bag of food that Gaston had given him. Sam had been in it while Jack was away, and the fish was now sleeping soundly in his box, his belly full and round. 

Jack finished repacking the food and looked around his room. He then hurried to grab a few items, like a map he’d been working on, a scale-polish kit, and the feather he’d found that morning. Once he’d stuffed all those things into the small bag, he slung the strap over his shoulder and across his chest.

“Damn Drayl,” Jack muttered as he looked around his room once more. _I swear I will talk to Father about this. I’ll just have to figure out how without revealing my… ‘preferences’._ He scoffed and darted towards the window. The young Merrow peeled back the curtain and looked at the clock. It was five till. 

Jack cursed and shot through his window, wasting no time in swimming quickly away from his home. He had to make it to the surface. He just had to. 

 

Jack finally felt like he could breathe again as he entered the seaweed forest. The Merrow let out a pent up breath and relaxed a little, feeling the tension in his shoulders set in.

He felt played. That’s what Drayl was doing; making Jack aware of how alone he was, and trying to reel him in. 

The prince shook his head furiously as he angled himself upward and made his way to shallower waters. _I refuse to play into his hands. There’s no way I could ever be with him, in any sense. No, he’s an asshole and a cunning prick. I’d die before I hooked up with him._

Yet somewhere in the back of his mind something nagged at him. 

_He was nice though. Gentle too. And he knows what you’re looking for. Not many people can say that. Plus he’d be willing to help._

Jack furiously smacked himself upside the head. _Are you crazy?! It’s all a game! Just a dirty scheme to get you into his bed!_

But what if it wasn’t?

The young Merrow sighed in defeat, his shoulders drooping as he slipped through the rock wall. 

“I need to put this behind me for now,” he muttered to himself. “Just watch the humans, do your thing, and go home. Shut yourself in for a few days. Let the whole thing blow over.”

With a nod Jack topped over the sheer drop and was immediately soothed by the burst of color and life around him. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he swam by the various schools of fish and trailed his fingers through the seagrass.

He truly did love it up here.

 

Jack squirmed onto his rock just as the humans started to pull their little boats ashore. The Merrow situated himself on his stomach with his chin in his hands and his tail dangling in the water. The bag hung off the rock, completely submerged in the water. A soft sigh escaped him as he watched the humans, all of them men at the moment, haul on ropes to pull three small boats onto the sand. Once that task was complete more humans piled out of the boats, and Jack spotted a few women among them.

That was new.

Every other time all of the humans had been male. Not once had Jack ever seen a female human. It was hard to make any details out from where he was at, but he gathered that they were pretty similar to the Merrow women, minus the tails. 

Jack shrugged and continued to watch. The humans were now unloading several boxes and giant bags, which they stacked in a pile close to the treeline. A few humans seemed to split off from the rest and ventured down the beach a ways. One of them Jack recognized. Again, it was hard to see any specific details, but he saw enough.

It was a short man with a reasonable middle. He often wore a funny looking hat that reminded Jack somewhat of a turtle shell, yet it was a pale tan color, not green or brown. He also carried a large square bag that hung from his shoulder and bounced on his hip as he walked. It was always overflowing with stuff. 

This man, as Jack watched him, went down the beach a few hundred feet, then slipped into the trees. He was there for a minute or two, and Jack became bored with him.

Just as the Merrow went to look back at the other humans, the funny-hat man came sprinting out of the trees, waving his arms and shouting. Everyone’s head turned in his direction, including Jack’s. He looked somewhat terrified, but also thrilled. Several other humans rushed over to meet him as he ran down the beach, and they all stopped, seemed to talk for a minute, then dashed back to where the man had been. 

The spectacle made Jack chuckle. _They’re like seagulls almost_ , he thought, amused. _One finds a treat and tells the others, then they all go rushing over, squawking and making all sorts of racket._

The Merrow dropped one arm onto the rock and fisted his other hand and rested his cheek on it. The sun was warm against his back, and he could almost feel his scales humming. A slight breeze brushed by and made Jack’s hair tickle his forehead. His blue eyes drooped just slightly, yet he wasn’t tired, just relaxed and at ease.  
A soft yawn escaped him and he kept his eyes glued on the group of humans that went into the trees.

_I wonder what they found…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooo! This was fun to write, but the next chapter's going to be even more fun!
> 
> ~Cog


	7. Pirates and Pipes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack's too innocent and naive.

Out in the northern part of the sea sat the ship on which the humans had arrived. It rolled gently with the waves, the anchor buried in the sand on the ocean floor preventing it from going any where. Massive white sails were neatly rolled up and tied down, and with every breath of the wind an audible groan would come from the ship. Her barnacle-ridden sides dipped ever-so-slightly in and out of the water, causing the seagulls that dared to swim nearby to squawk and flap their wings. 

On the ship, the pirate with the large hat and beard was standing on deck, his spyglass once again pressed to his eye. His long black coat occasionally danced with the wind, yet his form was still, like an unyielding oak. He kept his spyglass trained on the eastern part of the shoreline, watching the people who had sailed over with him go about their business on the beach. A low grumble rumbled in his chest. 

Another man, obviously a pirate, suddenly popped his head up from below deck, his back to the bearded man. He wore a red bandana on his head and had only a light stubble on his jaw. He looked around before spying the hat-wearer, and adjusted his bandana. A curious look came upon his sun-and-sea worn face.

“Oi Cap’n Tuc!”, he called in a heavy accent. “What you lookin’ at?”

Tuc lowered his spyglass and chuckled. 

“Those pesterin’ scholars. All caught up in their research.” He snorted and turned to look at the other man. “It’s a shame, Gerb, that all they want is science.”

Gerb chuckled and made his way completely on deck. He was revealed to be a tall and thin man. “Aye, they be missin’ an opportunity! They could get so much gold just for findin’ that creature thing.”

The captain scoffed and snatched Gerb’s sleeve, hauling him over to the railing. Gerb yelped, afraid he might get thrown overboard. It was something Tuc was notorious for.

“I’m not talkin’ bout _that_ creature, fool. I’m talkin’ bout this specimen.”

He raised his spyglass to Gerb’s eye and pointed it toward the eastern sea. Tuc knew Gerb saw what he was supposed to see when the pirate’s breath hitched in his rum-sore throat. 

“My god… ‘E looks like a jewel…”

“That he does.” Tuc smirked and put the spyglass to his own eyes. He focused it in and was silent for a minute. Then a deep chuckle escaped him.

“Get a boat ready, with plenty of nets and harpoons, and also some bait. Then round up the men.”

“Aye sir!”

Gerb scrambled away and disappeared below deck. Yelling could be heard moments later. 

The captain smiled to himself as he watched the creature before him. Its green tail glittered like an emerald, and that curiously green hair of his seemed to glow in the sun. There was a certain beauty and grace to this half-fish, half-man creature. Never before had the people of the continent seen such a thing. 

Oh yes, the creature would fetch a heavy price, dead or alive. An audience back at the continent would pay a large sum of gold just to look upon such a creature. But to own it; that would be something someone would be willing to spend their entire life’s savings on. 

With a chuckle Tuc snapped his spyglass closed and tucked it in his coat. 

_Looks like we’re goin’ fishin’._

 

Jack sighed as he pillowed his head on his arms. _Seems things have calmed down a bit._

The humans had disappeared into the trees and hadn’t been back for a while. About six of them were still hanging around the supplies and boats, but they weren’t doing anything exciting. 

The Merrow let his eyes close as he moved his tail slowly back and forth in the water. _Perhaps I'll take a nap. I’m sure I’ll hear something if the humans do come back. They are super loud after all._ Jack chuckled and nestled his face into his arms. As he did, he felt the plugs in his nose move, and he jumped. He’d completely forgotten about them. 

With a quick scoff Jack plucked the things from his nose, found them pleasantly dry, yet covered in blood, and tucked them into his bag. He then dabbed at his nose, and found it not bleeding. Jack let out a breath of relief and pillowed his head on his arms again. _I think I will take a nap,_ he thought as his eyes slid shut. _Just a few minutes wouldn’t hurt! The sun just feels so nice, and everything is so quiet and peaceful..._

In a matter of minutes he was breathing deeply and soundly asleep. The sun had lulled him to sleep, as it had many times before. Plus he was a little exhausted from all that had already happened that day, and it wasn’t even mid-morning yet. Jack shifted slightly on the rock and let out a sigh, his entire body relaxing and slipping under the spell that was sleep. 

Surprisingly, the Merrow started to dream. It was very vivid, and incredibly realistic for such a short nap. It started off with him just swimming around peacefully chasing fish with Sam, yet the scene suddenly turned dark, and somewhat sinister.

 

_He was swimming, and swimming fast, just beneath the surface of the water. It was dark, night, with only a thin slice of the moon in the sky to light his way. Sam was gone, nowhere to be seen._

_Every few feet he would glance over his shoulder, frantically looking for something. He felt fear; cold, bone-chilling fear; and the instinctual need to flee._

_Something was chasing him._

_But what?_

_He didn’t know. He just kept going, not stopping._

_Then suddenly, something snatched his wrist in a bruising grip from above. He cried out and jerked around, trying to see the thing. Yet he saw nothing but blackness, the sky and moon swallowed whole. The prick of claws biting into his skin made him gasp and he jerked again, trying to wriggle free. There was a crushing pressure, and he panicked._

_Then a growl that could paralyze even the bravest of Merrow warriors pierced his soul._

 

Jack shot up, a startled gasp escaping him. 

A chorus of startled “woah’s” and “hey’s” sounded from his right, and the Merrow jerked around, his eyes wide and chest heaving. What he saw made him go stock-still.

Not ten feet away was a boat, much like the ones he’d seen before, filled with humans. There were eight in total, all of them men. Some were holding a large woven net, others long harpoons, and one was clinging to a basket of fish. Two men stood in the front empty handed, just staring at him.

For a moment there was only the sound of the ocean around them. 

Instinct kicked in, mostly brought on by his wild dream, and Jack bailed to the left, abandoning his perch and bag. He plunged into the ocean, sending up a large spray of water. The Merrow took off, heading for a cluster of pink sea fans. He dove behind them, curling into a ball and hiding himself. His heart was pounding in his chest and his breaths came in shuddering gasps. It took a moment for his mind to stop reeling.

“H-Holy crap,” he stuttered quietly to himself, trying to assess the situation.

Jack licked his lips and tried to take a deep breath. Failing miserably, he dared a glance up at the boat. It was slowly moving closer, and Jack could see the silhouettes of the humans as they peered into the water. Then he could hear the muffled voice of one as it started to speak. 

“It’s alright! You have no reason to fear us! We just want’ta talk!”

The Merrow cocked his head and curiously rose up a bit. He gripped the edge of a fan as he watched the boat drift slowly over him. With a cautious flick of his tail Jack slowly swam towards it, careful to keep himself hidden underneath it. He swam with it for a few feet, pondering his choices. 

_This is it Jackaboy,_ part of him cried. _This is your chance to speak with the humans! You can do it!_

Yet another part was extremely wary of the bunch. _Did you see them? They were all gross and scraggly. Plus they had harpoons! And a net! You really want to go up there?_

Jack closed his eyes and let out a breath. _Yes. Yes I do._

He rolled onto his side and swam out from under the boat, close to the surface. He knew the humans could see him, and he wanted them to. 

Jack heard their startled gasps and murmurs the second he showed himself.

 

The Merrow taunted the humans, swimming from one side of the boat to the other. He couldn’t help but grin as the men frantically moved to follow him, causing the boat to rock slightly. Their words of awe and wonder made him feel giddy. 

Then Jack dove down deep, disappearing from the human's sight. He could hear their tones of confusion and worry. 

Yet he twisted to the right, and silently surfaced behind the boat. Jack only allowed his head and neck to show. He watched with a smirk on his face as the humans peered over the front of the boat, still trying to catch a glimpse of him. 

It wasn’t until the man with the basket of fish, a young lad by the looks of it, perhaps a few years younger than Jack himself, turned around that Jack was spotted. The boy’s big brown eyes widened as his freckled cheeks went pale, and his mouth dropped open. 

Jack grinned and wiggled his fingers in greeting.

The boy choked and stumbled backwards, clutching his basket to his chest. “C-Cap’n! B-Behind us!”

All of the men immediately whipped around, and the “Cap’n” shoved through them, stepping out in front. Jack took note of his peculiar hat and brown eyes. That beard of his was also something to behold, solid black with silver streaks. 

One of the men behind this Cap’n person hefted a harpoon with trembling hands, and Jack flinched and glared at him. He quickly sunk back into the water up to his nose.

The Cap’n immediately stretched out a hand. “Wait!”

Jack paused and looked over at him with big eyes. _These humans certainly are strange. I wonder if they all act like this._

The man shot Jack a kind smile and slowly got on his knees, apparently trying to get on Jack’s level. He stretched out his hand even further.

“‘S alright,” he said quietly; gently. “Ol’ Skinna there won’t hurt ya. They’re all just a bit nervous. My boys ain’t ever seen such a beauty as you.”

Jack flushed and blinked a few times. _Is he trying to impress me? It is quite flattering._

The Merrow inched just a bit closer and studied the man’s hand. It was rough and colored by the sun. Scars covered most of it, and a large silver skull ring adorned his thumb. Jack lifted his head out of the water until his shoulders were exposed. 

“That’s it,” the man urged. “We won’t bite. Name’s Tuc, what’s yours?”

The Merrow paused and brought his gaze up to the man’s with a deeply confused look on his face. _Tuc? What kind of name is that?_ Jack cocked his head. _Now I’ve gotta ask._

“Tuc?” he questioned with a confused tone. “That doesn’t fit at all.”

For a brief moment no human said a word. They didn’t even blink. 

Tuc chuckled and fixed Jack with an amused smirk. “So ya can talk.”

Jack scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Course I can talk. I’m not some stupid flounder.”

All but Tuc gasped. Yet Tuc only chuckled again. “You’re a smart fish. That’s something we never suspected.”

The Merrow grinned and brushed his hair from his face. “You’d be surprised with what you can find out here, sailor.”

_Oh my god! You’re having a legit conversation with a human! Holy shit!_ Jack was mentally freaking out. He was loving this. Yet he felt suddenly bold. Like he wanted to show off. 

Jack laughed quietly and sunk below the surface. The humans began to frantically look for him again. Yet he simply turned around and swam to the left side of the boat. Again as the humans were looking for him at the tailend, he popped up on the left. Jack snickered quietly to himself and swam to the boat. He gripped the edge and hauled himself up, wanting to see what was in there. The Merrow was a curious fish after all. 

His movements caused the boat to rock, and again the basket boy turned and saw him. He squeaked and scrambled backwards. “Cap’n!”

The Merrow was practically halfway in the boat, fiddling with the different items he found at the bottom of the vessel. His scaled rump was in the air as it hung over the edge, and he was eyeing each item carefully. 

Jack ignored the humans as they turned around to gawk at him. Instead he picked up a funny looking thing made of wood and turned it over in his hands. 

“What is this thing?” he asked, holding it up for the men to see. 

One of them, a thin, lanky man with a red bandana over his head, cleared his throat. “That be a pipe. For smoking.”

Jack brought the pipe close to his face and studied it. “Pipe,” he repeated, letting the word roll off his tongue. “Interesting!” 

The Merrow tossed the thing over his shoulder, where it fell in the ocean with a _spaloosh_ , and went back to rummaging. He came across another object, one made of glass. It was round and seemed to be able to hold something. He sniffed it and reeled back at the bitter smell.

“Ugh! What is that?!”

This time Tuc stepped forward and kneeled down next to him. Jack tensed at how close he was, and he caught a whiff of something sweet. Perhaps it was alcohol?

Tuc took the item gingerly from Jack’s hands, and the Merrow flinched when the human’s hands brushed against his. “This,” the human said as he turned the object over in his hands. “Is an inkwell. It holds ink that we use to write with. Do you know what I’m talking about?” he asked gently.

Jack blinked and stared up at him. _Ink? Like the stuff an octopus produces? They write with that stuff?_ The Merrow shook his head. “No.”

The human chuckled and stood up. “Well, we use this stuff to write on paper.”

“What do you write with? Your finger? A stick?”

“No, no not a stick. A quill, or feather.”

Jack’s face lit up. “A feather? I have one of those!”

He slid out of the boat and quickly darted over to his rock. The Merrow snatched his bag and came speeding back. “I found it this morning,” he explained as popped back up beside the boat and rummaged around in his bag. Once he found it he pulled the black and red feather out and showed it to the humans proudly. “See? Isn’t it beautiful?”

Jack felt like a little kid. He was giddy, excited, and pleased. Here he was, talking to humans. For the first time in his life he was doing something he really wanted to, and having a blast! He was learning different things, and it felt great. The Merrow thirsted for more knowledge, and he was desperate to get it and prove his parents wrong. Humans couldn’t be all that bad! And he was certain he was going to show that to his people. 

Tuc examined the feather without taking it from him. “Oh yes, it’s very beautiful.”

The Merrow nodded excitedly and put the feather back in his bag. He then pushed away from the boat and went under. Again the humans searched for him, yet he popped back up behind them again. 

_Hm, I wonder if they like to play any games. Perhaps I should start with an icebreaker? No, they don’t seem like the introductory type. Ooh! I know!_

Jack grinned and cupped his hands together. He let a decent amount of water fill his palms, and then he quickly forced his hands together. A stream of water burst from his hands.

The Merrow watched with a big smile as the water hit one of the men square on the butt. The man yelped and spun around. Yet Jack had already slipped out of sight. He slunk under the boat and purposefully bumped into it. The Merrow heard the men murmur and warn each other about falling in. 

Jack peeked his head above water and giggled. The sound echoed around the area, a melodic sound to the men’s ears. Now they were all looking around, searching for him. Jack laughed as he swam away, towards his rock. 

 

Tuc glared around them, searching for the creature. _It’s obvious that it has no clue what to do about us. But it is extremely curious. Which works to our advantage. Perhaps we can lure it over and catch it in the net._

He leaned over to Gerb, who was standing beside him, clutching said net. “He’s curious, is he not?”, the pirate whispered. Gerb nodded quickly.

“Y-Yeah, he certainly is,” Gerb stuttered. 

Tuc chuckled lowly. “I want you to lower the net slowly in the water over the back of the boat, properly. If he keeps up his games, we’ll catch ‘im eventually.”

Gerb nodded quickly again and went about lowering the net into the water, stretching it out and setting the trap.

Just then, there came a loud commotion behind them, and some of the men made noises of wonder. Tuc turned to look and saw that the creature was back on the rock he was originally on. He was peering at them with large blue eyes, full of curiosity and playfulness. The creature cocked his head and a small smile grew on his face.

“Do you like to play games?”

The men mumbled amongst themselves, unsure of what the creature was asking. Tuc shook his head in irritation and moved forward, his men making way for him. He stood tall and looked the creature in the eye.

“What games d’you have in mind?”

His face lit up and he flicked his tail, causing a disturbance in the water. “Whatever you want to play!” the creature said with excitement. 

Tuc chuckled and held his chin as if in serious thought. “Well, maybe a game of dice?”

Again the creature cocked its head, its brow becoming furrowed. “Dice? What’s that?”

The pirate captain smirked and waved him over. “Come to the front of the boat and I’ll show you,” he called. 

 

Jack was practically jumping up and down. _Ha! They’re going to teach me one of their activities! These humans aren’t bad at all. Not all humans are bad. Just wait until I tell Felix about this. I can just imagine the look on his face!_

The Merrow quickly left his bag on the rock and dove back in the water, his stomach flipping with anticipation. 

_I wonder what ‘dice’ is? Hopefully it’s something fun._

He swam toward the boat, a small hum playing at the back of his throat. 

_I’m going to make Father eat his wor-_

Jack was suddenly stunned as his face collided with a wall of mesh. His momentum carried him forward, and before he knew it, he was completely engulfed in the stuff. 

By the time his brain clicked everything into place, it was too late. 

_A n-net?! Is that what this is?!_

The Merrow stopped and twisted about, trying to squirm out of the slimy stuff. Yet he had swam too far, and the thin mesh was all around him. 

Suddenly, the net was tugged, and Jack yelped as he was dragged through the water towards the back of the boat. Terrified, the Merrow leaned back against the net and tried kicking his tail to get away. 

For a moment it seemed like it might work. He gained a few inches, and heard struggling grunts above him. 

But then, the net was jerked again, and Jack lost his ground. Another yelp escaped him as the net began to drag him steadily towards the tailend of the boat. 

_W-What is going on? What’s happening?!_

Before he knew it, he was being hauled out of the water and into the boat. 

Jack gasped and thrashed about, his arms and tail flailing madly to try and break free. Yet the net only tightened around his body, and he suddenly found himself being dumped on the hard wood floor of the boat. 

“Ggh!” He winced as he hit hard, and for a moment he just lay there, gasping and frozen in fear, like a crab in a bright light. He then managed to roll over onto his back, and was greeted by a disturbing sight.

The faces of eight men, all gnarly and sneering, glared down at him. A couple snickered, and the Merrow trembled. He helplessly stared up at them, his eyes widening and heart racing. Jack desperately looked over at the man named Tuc, hoping to see some sort of merciful look. Yet as he looked upon the man, all he saw was greed and a sneer. 

“You’re pretty stupid, fish boy.” Tuc cackled, and the other men joined in. The god-awful chorus rattled Jack’s brain and composure, and he trembled, slightly curling in on himself. 

_Why are they doing this?! Did I do something wrong?!_

“P-Please,” he whimpered, fixing Tuc with a pleading look through the netting over his face. “Just let me go. I’m sorry if I did something wrong! I-I have no value to you.”

Tuc scoffed and nudged Jack’s tail with his boot. “Shut up. Fish don’t talk. And you _do_ have a value. Someone back home is going to pay a hefty amount of gold for you, no matter your condition.” He roared with laughter, his men joining him again. 

Jack shook his head and thrashed about, disrupting the ring of laughter. “N-No! Let me go!”

Suddenly there was a sharp pain rippling through his tail. He inhaled sharply, stilled, and looked down to see Tuc standing on his fin firmly with one foot. “G-Get off!”, Jack shrieked, trying to jerk his tail free. Yet Tuc only increased his weight on it, and twisted his heel.

“A-Aaaaahhhhh! No! Get off, get off! Please!” Jack screamed and thrashed around violently, tears bursting from his eyes. 

Tuc laughed, yet his men didn’t join him. They stood back and let their captain do what he saw fit. No one dared intervene.

The pirate added more pressure, and Jack screamed again. He heard Tuc growl, and then a large hand was wrapped painfully around his throat, blocking his airpipe. Jack choked and tried to scrabble at the human’s wrists, yet the net he was trapped in prevented such actions. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to breathe. His tail was screaming, and he felt like it was on fire. 

Tuc twisted his foot again, and Jack’s eyes snapped open.

“G-Gaa-gck! S-Stop!”

The pirate shook his head and tightened his hold on the Merrow’s neck. “I’ll stop when you stop talkin’.”

Jack grimaced. _I’ve got to call for help! Surely there must be someone nearby! Someone’s got to be searching for me! I don’t even care if it’s Drayl. Anything would be better than this!_

The Merrow drew in as much air as he could, and then let it loose in a desperate cry.

“HELP! Help, somebody! Hel-Ggck!”

He wheezed as the hand around his throat threatened to crush his windpipe. 

Tuc snarled in his face and shook him violently. “Shut up, you stupid animal!”

 

_FFFFFFWWWOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH_

A gust of wind suddenly surrounded the boat, and the humans had to hold down their hats and whatnot to keep them from blowing away. Even Tuc had to release Jack’s throat to hold down his own hat. The captain stumbled back a few steps in order to keep his balance, therefore releasing Jack’s fin from under his boot.

Jack fell on his back and lay there, coughing and cradling his bruised neck. His squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for someone he recognized to call out to him. _Perhaps Father? He could summon a wind such as that one._

_Tootootootootoo! Too!_

The Merrow’s eyes snapped open. How such a noise cut through the wailing of the wind he wasn’t sure, but he didn’t care. _I… I recognize that sound!_ He attempted to sit up and look around, desperately searching for the source of that high-pitched call.

_Too! Tootootoo!_

Jack jerked his gaze to the left. A big smile washed over his face as he saw a familiar puff perched on the edge of the boat. 

It was the little owl from earlier.

_Is... Is he here to help me? Oh jeez. There’s not much you can do, little guy. But it’s the thought that counts I guess,_ Jack thought as he smiled at the bird, despite his position.

The owl’s big blue eyes blinked and he shifted his wings against his body. He tilted his head adorably to the right and looked right at Jack.

_Too!_

Then it hit the Merrow: the owl didn’t seem to be at all affected by the wind raging around them. Jack blinked and studied the bird, momentarily ignoring the struggling humans behind him. 

“How are you-”

His words were suddenly drowned out by a roar. Well, a roar really wasn’t the right word. It was more like a clap of thunder, with an animalistic snarl around the edges. It seemed to come from all around them, and was incredibly loud. Jack could barely hear himself think. Beside him the little owl flapped its wings almost excitedly and took off, zipping up into the sky. The bellow then faded out to a deep, menacing growl that left Jack’s bones humming. And as the roar faded, so did the wind.

_What on earth was that?_

Then suddenly, everything was silent. There was no growling, no rushing of the wind, nothing. Just the water gently lapping at the boat.

 

Tuc growled to himself and scanned the area, extremely wary of the wind and roar. His men trembled and flicked their eyes about frantically, searching for the same thing he was. Beside the captain Gerb swallowed hard and looked up at the sky. “D-D… Do y’think it’s that creature? The one Steels is mad about?” he asked quietly.

Tuc didn’t say a word as he too looked to the sky. His brown eyes hardened. 

“Aye,” he responded bluntly. “Has t’be.”

 

Jack gaped at the humans through the net, stunned at how quickly they seemed to forget about him. Yet he was also intrigued by what they were saying. 

_A creature? I wonder what they’re talking about…_

Deciding not to fret over it too much, Jack wiggled and inched his way closer to the boat’s edge. _If I can just make it over, then I can lean out over the boat. I can force myself overboard and back into the water._ The Merrow furrowed his brow in concentration and continued to wriggle away.

One of the humans suddenly glanced at him, and saw his escape attempt.

“Hey!”

Jack flinched and tried to scoot away faster. _Shit, no, no no! Come on!_ The Merrow then suddenly felt something land with a sharp thunk right by his tail. A split second later stinging pain enveloped his entire being.

The Merrow screamed, falling onto his side to writhe in agony. He could feel something warm trickling down his tail, and he dared a glance at it, breathing heavily.

A long, deep gash ran horizontally just below his hip. Bright red blood welled steadily from the wound, and ran down the front and back of his tail. It hurt like hell, and Jack could see some of his scales flowing away with the blood. A quick glance over his shoulder let him the see the harpoon responsible buried in the wood of the boat. A few more scales were there too. 

He bit his lip to keep in another wail of agony. Tears stung his eyes, and he shut them tight, hoping to keep the tears from spilling. It did no good. 

Then before, Jack could register what was happening, something, something _big_ , slammed into the side of the boat.

 

All of the men screamed as the boat practically exploded and snapped in half, sending all of its passengers flying through the air. Jack found himself tumbling, his vision spinning between the sea and the sky for a few seconds.

And then he landed on something hard and unforgiving.

Jack wheezed as the air was shoved from his lungs, and he lay there, thrashing and gasping. He could hear the humans shouting for one another as they swam about, and he could also hear the splintering groans and shrieks of the boat as something tore it to shreds. 

It took Jack a minute to catch his breath, and once he did, he sucked it in greedily and coughed violently. Once he was done trying to learn how to breath again, he took in his surroundings. 

The force from the blow on the boat had sent him reeling off into the air, and he had landed on a rock. It had a decent slant to it, so how he managed to not slide off was impressive. 

The Merrow groaned and tried to sit up. Yet his back had taken the brunt of the blow from the rock, and it hurt to even move his neck. Plus his tail throbbed painfully, and even the slightest movement sent a shock through him. 

_Too!_

Jack blinked and looked slightly to his right. There he saw the little owl, hovering a few inches away from him. 

“H-Hey little guy,” Jack managed, a cough building in his chest. The owl chirred and looked over his shoulder at something, then back at the Merrow. He produced another _too_ , this one much louder and sharper than before. 

Jack smiled weakly and closed his eyes. “I appreciate it buddy, b-but I don’t think-”

A gust of wind suddenly took his breath away, and the Merrow’s eyes popped open.

What he saw made him lose the breath he didn’t have.

A pair of eyes pierced his own. They were literal swirling pools of amber against a black background, and Jack felt himself drowning. The longer he stared, the deeper he sank. Without realizing it black rimmed his vision, and all he could see were those eyes. He didn’t even care when a low growl rumbled around him.

Jack let out a quiet breath and felt himself start to slip into unconsciousness. Those eyes… they were putting him to sleep. But he wasn’t afraid. No, he felt oddly at peace. The Merrow let his eyes slip closed, yet he still saw those smoldering amber pools behind his eyelids. 

_They’re so beautiful…,_ he thought.

And then he knew only darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun DUUUNNN~!  
> Let the theorizing begin!
> 
> ~Cog


	8. Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack meets... something...

_Ugh. Owwww. Fuck, what is that sound? Water? Rushing water. Sounds nice. Peaceful, soothing, a little loud. Hm, I should get a fountain in my room. Do fountains work underwater? I don’t think so. Wait, why am I hearing it then? Where am I?_

Jack’s eyes snapped open. He blinked a few times to clear his bleary vision before rolling his head to the side. Nothing but slate grey filled his vision. _What in the world…?_ The Merrow slowly moved his eyes around, trying to see where he was.

He appeared to be in some sort of cave. Jack’s eyes trailed along the rather tall, sloping ceiling. It was worn smooth, with bits of moss and other numerous plants growing here and there. The walls on either side seemed to look the same. Jack rolled his eyes back and tilted his chin, trying get a glimpse of what was behind him. The ground sloped up before leveling out into a sort of deck almost, and the back wall was a good fifteen feet away.

The Merrow groaned slightly, his entire body lightly throbbing, and lifted his head, peering at what lay ahead. About ten feet away from him was the opening to the cave. It stared straight out at the sea, and all Jack could see for miles was the ocean. An occasional wave would splash up against the rocks, sending a white spray into the air and a cool breath of wind into the cave. 

Jack blinked a few times as he slowly sat up, his eyes still glued to the view outside. He didn’t really recognize anything, and the air felt different. 

_Where am I?_

With that thought he looked down at his tail. The first thing he saw was that his fin was submerged in a rather deep pool of water. A constant stream of water came from a hole on the wall, which led into the pool. The pool then emptied out into a small stream that went out to the ocean. 

_It’s like someone put my fin there, to keep it from drying out._

Jack moved his fin around slowly, finding that it felt much better and didn’t even hurt. He winced as he recalled that filthy human stomping on it. Then he looked to his lap. Immediately he caught sight of the large gash just below his right hip. As he stared at it, he began to recall what had happened.

The Merrow groaned and hid his face in his hands. _God I was so stupid! Why couldn’t I see their true intentions? I’m such an idiot…_

“Father will have my head for this. Not mention Mother. And Malcolm…” Jack shook his head and tangled his fingers in his disheveled green hair. “Oh fuck, you fucked up good McLoughlin.”

He let out a sigh and dropped his hands in his lap. _The first thing I need to do it take care of this._ Jack gingerly rested his hand over the gash on his tail. _Then I can go from there._

The Merrow pulled his hand away and found it smeared with fresh blood. A pained grimace came over his face, and he studied the wound closely. It was a clean cut, and it seemed the bleeding had kept anything from getting in to cause an infection. The wound itself would probably heal well enough in the next few days, but the problem was his scales. They had been ripped away in that area, and that’s what made the wound so painful. It would take at least a month for them to grow back properly. 

Jack sighed and looked around. There was nothing in here that he could use to clean the wound. The Merrow dropped his gaze to his fin and moved it around. As he did, he caught sight of a familiar bag resting at the bottom of the pool. 

_My bag!_ Jack scooted forward until his butt slid into the pool. Water sloshed out and ran across the floor. Surprisingly the water went up to his waist, and if he curled his tail just right, he could comfortably fit in the little pool with a little room to spare. 

The Merrow snatched his bag and dug through its contents. Everything was accounted for, save for a few parcels of food, which he didn’t care about. Yet nothing in there could help him tend to his wound. 

He sighed for umpteenth time that day and dropped his hands back into his lap, the small splash sending water into his face. 

_Guess I should try to go home then. But I need to find out where I am first. Maybe there's a landmark or something outside?_

Jack went to haul himself out of the pool, yet something shifted in the corner of his eye. Startled, the Merrow looked to his left.

Sitting on a rock not three feet away, was the little owl. Piled the to the rock was the net Jack had been ensnared in.

Instantly relaxing, Jack smiled. “Hey little guy. What are you doing here?”

The little owl chirred and ruffled its feathers. It then tilted its head to the side and blinked a few times. 

_Too!_

Suddenly, as if that single little sound had flipped a switch, Jack’s mind immediately became flooded with images of amber eyes and the rumbling of something roaring. 

 

Jack blinked and stared into the owl’s blue eyes. “That’s… _That’s right!_ There was something there!” He whirled around, twisting his body to look around the cave. “Is it here? What even was it? Did it bring me here?”

The owl clicked its beak and flew out of the cave, pausing to look back at Jack.

“Hey, w-where are you going?”

Jack watched with mild disappointment and sadness as the bird simply flew up and out of sight. 

_...Oh. Guess he didn’t want to hang around._

But then, a few seconds later, Jack heard the wind pick up. It began as a faint whistle, then grew to a loud wail, and soon it was nearly roaring. He was shielded from it in the cave, but he could see the water rippling from the force of it. Yet there was something odd about how the wind affected the water. It pulsated, like a heartbeat. There would be a strong gust, and the waves would ripple, then a pause, and then another gust, causing another round of ripples.

Then before he knew it, the wind stopped. Everything was still. Jack blinked and sat a little straighter.

“What in the w-”

_THUMP_

Jack squeaked and shrunk down, his eyes flicking up to the ceiling where the loud noise had come from. Dust and a few pebbles rained down on him. _Did… Did something just land up there? Whatever it was, it sounded big..._

He kept staring at the ceiling with wide eyes, waiting for it to come crashing down on him. His heart raced in his chest and he subconsciously clutched at his bag. 

A loud snarl drifted in from the entrance.

The Merrow inhaled sharply and looked quickly to the opening. He saw nothing; no one was there. 

_But what was that?_

Jack licked his lips. “H-Hello? Who’s there?!” His voice got louder than he wanted it to, and his words bounced off the walls around him. 

Then suddenly, there was a gust of wind, and something rather large dropped into the mouth of the cave. It nearly filled the entire entrance and blocked out the sun. With the light at the thing’s back, Jack couldn’t make out any details, except that it was much bigger than him. 

_Oh… Oh my god. It’s huge. It’ll probably eat me in one bite. Oh god…_

The thing then shifted and took a step towards him, and Jack couldn’t even begin to guess what it was.

It appeared to have human-like legs and arms, but other than that it looked like a deformed yet symmetrical monster. It began to walk towards the Merrow, its footsteps silent.

Jack trembled and scooted back, yet he found himself pinned against the edge of the pool. It would take too much extra motion to try and scramble out. Any movement he made could trigger the creature to attack.

His eyes widened as the thing began to draw closer. “S-Stay away!” He yelled, fear making his heart pound in his chest. Blood was roaring in his ears, and he felt like he might hyperventilate. 

Yet the creature continued to come closer. It showed no sign of stopping. As it drew nearer, Jack could sense something emanating from the being. It wasn’t a smell, per se, but more of a feeling; an aura. Like this thing oozed a presence that made fear instantly sprout in Jack’s body. It was terrifying. 

The being stopped when it was right in front of the Merrow. For a moment it just stood there, making Jack squirm in its shadow. 

Jack whimpered quietly and clenched his bag tightly in his grip. _Maybe… Maybe I can hit it and get a chance to escape. Could work._

Attempting to be brave, the Merrow tightened his grip on the bag. “I-I said stay away!”

He swung the bag with both hands, squeezing his eyes shut. Jack felt the bag make contact, and the thing grunted in surprise. Snapping his eyes open, Jack saw that the bag had hit the thing square in the face. Without hesitation he dropped it. The creature immediately snatched the parcel and dug into it with a soft huff. 

Jack wasted no time in scrambling from the pool and squirming past the being, water going everywhere. He made a beeline for the entrance, ignoring the way his scales dragged across the rough ground. The Merrow crawled forward, his heart racing and nerves screaming. The fact that the thing was behind him now made things a whole lot scarier, and the possibility of it chasing him egged him on.

_Just a bit further! Come on faster Jack faster!_

Suddenly, he heard a startled gasp, and then the scrabbling of feet. 

_Ah fuck! Fuck fuck fuck! Goddammit Jack hurry up!_

He let a desperate grunt escape him as he tried to crawl faster. Yet his actions were useless. 

A pair of hands suddenly gripped his waist firmly. Jack yelped as he was jerked back, his hands clawing at the ground in front of him. 

“N-No, let go!” Jack cried out and tried to squirm away furiously. He thrashed his tail about, not caring about the wound already on his hip. The Merrow fully expected sharp teeth to sink into his neck or have claws slash at his back. 

With another flail of his tail, he twisted in his captor’s grip and turned onto his back, now face-to-face with the creature. He kept his eyes closed, not wanting to see its no-doubt ugly mug, and tried to claw at the thing, his arms waving madly.

“G-Get away! S-Stop!”

Jack could feel it hovering over him, and the hands on his waist gave him images he wasn’t sure he wanted to see. He pressed his cheek against the cold stone floor, trying to reduce the availability to his throat. 

Then the hands on his waist suddenly disappeared, and instead caught his blood-seeking hands at the wrists. Jack gasped and his eyes flew open as the creature pinned his wrists above his head. 

The Merrow tugged at his arms, his tail still thrashing about, and closed his eyes again, putting all his effort in fighting back. 

“L-Let me go!”

The grip on his wrists tightened, and then there was a pair of legs straddling his flailing tail. Jack grunted and bucked his hips, desperate the get this thing off him.

_Oh fuck fuck fuck. Is it going to kill me? Oh god I can’t do anything!_

The Merrow arched his back and tried to roll to the side, but found it useless. He settled back onto the cool stone to try and catch some of his breath. After a few seconds he tried to twist away again.

A soft, almost irate, sigh came from his captor. 

“Relax,” said a gentle, deep voice above him. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Jack paused in struggling, and slowly cracked open a eye and glanced up. He saw what looked like a human face, but everything was blurry since he only opened his eye a smidge. 

_What the fuck?! It wasn’t an animal? It's a human?!_

“How,” Jack panted, his chest heaving. “How can I trust that?”

“Well, I guess you can’t really.”

The Merrow tensed, then opened both eyes and turned his head. His whole body stiffened, and he went completely still. What he saw hovering just a few inches from his face took his breath away. 

 

It was a man, with the most beautiful and intense brown eyes Jack had ever seen. Black hair hung over one just slightly, and gave him a mysterious look. He had light tan skin, and thin stubble covered his chin and jaw. Overall his face held a rugged and chiseled appearance.

As the man’s lips curled into a small smile to reveal perfect, white teeth, Jack felt his stomach swoop sharply. 

_Oh my god… He’s gorgeous._

The man chuckled softly as he peered into Jack’s face. “See? Nothing to be afraid of.”

Jack swallowed. “I doubt that.” _I’m afraid of falling for your hot-as-fuck face!_

Another chuckle rumbled in the man’s chest. “I’m going to let you up now. Promise not to try and escape again?”

_Yeah, sure. I only thought you were some crazy, deformed monster a minute ago._

The Merrow nodded quickly. With a slightly doubtful look the man released Jack’s wrists and sat back. Jack slowly propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look at the man. 

He damn near choked. 

The man was bare chested, which revealed a nicely muscled torso worth drooling over, and he wore brown trousers. He also had no shoes. But that wasn’t the kicker.

The guy had _wings_. Like gigantic, black, _bird wings_. This was not a human, not even close. 

Jack gasped and immediately scrambled away, his eyes wide. 

“O-Oh my god. You’re not a human,” he accused as he backed away quickly.

The man sighed and dove at him, once again grabbing his waist and pulling him back. 

“Gah! No, let me go! Stop!” Jack clawed at him again, and again the man snatched his wrists and held them. His legs once again trapped the Merrow's tail as well. 

A short chuckle came from the man’s throat as he looked down at Jack’s face. “You’re not much of a human either.”

The Merrow gritted his teeth and thrashed his head. “Ggh, stop! Why are you doing this?!” Jack panted with effort as he continued to struggle. “Please, just let me go!” He stared at the man, hoping to convince him with his pleading eyes. 

The man paused and blinked. He peered closer at Jack’s face, causing the Merrow to blush furiously and squirm under that intense gaze. Then the man tilted his head.

“You’re terrified.”

Jack bit his lip and cast his gaze to the side. “So? Isn’t everything you kill terrified when you corner it?”

Again the man blinked in surprise. “You think I kill?”

The Merrow glanced at him. _He moves like a predator. There’s no way he isn’t a regular savage beast. Like a snake, cunning, and quick. I have no idea what kind of beast he actually is, but the way he acts, and his eyes. They’re the eyes of an experienced hunter._

“It’s your eyes,” the Merrow muttered, looking away from him. “They’re predatorial. Hungry.”

The man smirked. “You’re not wrong.”

Jack shuddered as the man’s voice became lower. Then a peculiar rustling sound reached the Merrow’s ears. He looked around, extremely confused and terrified.

The man’s wings were slowly expanding, stretching out on either side of him. Jack gasped and his eyes widened as he watched the massive tools of flight extend. They easily touched the sides of the cave, and they weren't even their full length. 

And Jack suddenly felt small, puny, and incredibly helpless underneath this being.

Then he watched as the wings began to refold, slowly, gracefully. He was so lost in the wonder of watching what was happening that he almost forgot about the hands pinning his wrists and the legs trapping his tail. 

Yet the wings began to curl towards him, and Jack looked up at the man in confusion. A smirk was plastered on the wings’ owner’s face. 

Realization struck the Merrow. 

_Oh god, this is how he kills, isn’t it? It’s just like a lantern fish. He distracts his prey with his wings and then goes in for the kill. Oh god, I’m so dead._

He flicked his eyes about frantically as the wings began to close in. The Merrow’s breath began to quicken, and he struggled against the man. 

“No wait please, please don’t kill me.”

Yet the man only smiled and continued to lower his wings. This time Jack saw short yet sharp fangs in those rows of white teeth. 

Jack whimpered and struggled furiously again. The man growled, an almost amused sound, and brought Jack’s hands in front of him before jerking him into a sitting position. The Merrow squirmed and twisted violently as he felt the man’s hands snatch his upper arms in a vice-like grip. Then he was pulled roughly to the man’s bare, muscular chest, in an emotionless embrace. Of certain death.

The Merrow tried to pound his fists against the creature’s chest, yet found them too tightly pinned between them. He let out a furious grunt and attempted to push away. But the man’s grip kept him tightly pressed against his chest. 

Then the man’s wings surrounded them completely, plunging them into inky darkness. 

Jack’s breath hitched as his vision was ripped away. His heart began the beat wildly, and he was sure the man could hear it. Jack jumped when he felt hot breath brush against the side of his neck. 

“Mmm,” the man purred. “You’re cute. And smell good too.”

Jack whimpered and struggled weakly, feeling his face grow hot. “S-Stop, please,” he whined.

The man chuckled, the sound sending a shiver down Jack’s spine.

_Oh god, is he going to eat me or is he going to_ eat _me? I can’t tell at this point._

And just the thought of the latter happening sent an unexpected thrill through him. Was he really feeling fear right now? Yes, he was terrified. But there was something else. Something deeper. Was it… excitement? Anticipation? What the hell was wrong with him? _I shouldn't be feeling like this! This is bad! So why-_

Jack lost his train of thought when he felt the man’s lips gently feather over his shoulder. The gesture sent a shock through him, no doubt an overreaction considering his senses were heightened since he couldn’t see. 

Then the man’s lips were firmly on Jack’s neck, kissing it hard.

The Merrow inhaled sharply and froze. The sensation that flooded through him was unbelievable, and it left his fingers and fin tingling. 

_What… What is happening right now?_

Jack then felt a fang scratch gently across his skin.

He yelped and tried to move away from the sharp tooth, yet he could go nowhere. Despair began to sink in, and for a moment, just a brief moment, Jack accepted his fate.

_Well, looks like I’m going to die here. I just… I just want it to end quickly._

The Merrow whimpered as he felt a second fang join the first, and he knew the creature was going to bite him. The pressure was steadily increasing on his neck, and he felt like the fangs would pierce his skin any second. He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed the forming lump in his throat.

“Do it.”

The man paused.

“Do it,” Jack whispered again. “Just do it quickly and kill me. Please I don’t want to suffer.”

He felt the man tense. 

_Oh god did I really just ask for death? That’s a first…_

Jack waited, his heart slamming against his ribs. For a few seconds nothing happened. He cracked open an eye to peek at his captor.

Suddenly the man produced a deep growl and pulled back, just enough so that Jack could see his face. Jack's eyes widened. 

_Oh woah._

The man’s eyes were glowing. They were a dark amber in color, and they gave off their own luminescent light. The glow they produced cast long shadows on the man’s face, and illuminated some of his features, making his face look sharper. 

With another growl the man moved further away and searched Jack’s face with those glowing eyes. As Jack stared into them, a familiar feeling washed over him. 

Peace.

_Oh my god_ , Jack thought as he recalled the amber eyes from before. _He’s… Those eyes… He’s the one that saved me from the humans…_

Jack blinked and licked his lips, trying to find his voice. 

“Y-Y… You saved me, didn’t you?”

The man made a _tch_ sound and abruptly stood up, taking his arms and wings with him. 

Jack yelped as he fell onto his back and was momentarily blinded by the sudden light. He heard the man walking away, and frantically reached out for him.

“W-Wait!”

The man didn’t hesitate. He just kept walking.

The Merrow managed to push himself up on his hands and blink away the spots in his vision. The man was at the edge of the cave now, and he was looking over his shoulder at the Merrow. Jack couldn’t help but feel his stomach flip as those smoldering amber eyes bore into him. 

Jack took a deep breath and stared back at the man, trying to compose himself. 

“D-Do you have a name?” He had no idea why he asked that particular question, but he rolled with and waited for an answer.

The man gave him a confused look before closing his eyes and turning away.

“Mark,” he said quietly. 

And with that he leapt from the cave, pushed his wings down in one hard stroke, and was gone, disappearing over the top of the cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaahahaha, by far my favorite chapter. For many reasons :3  
> Not too much transitioning, I just really wanted to dedicate an entire chapter to the introduction of Mark.  
> So yeah!
> 
> And thank you so much for the kudos and comments! It's so much fun to read the responses to chapters.
> 
> ~Cog


	9. Return and Recount

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took so long! I found myself trying to update another story and got piled with school work @-@  
> But I'm back! And super excited to get back to writing this! You guys are the best, you really are, for making me really want to keep writing this. It's awesome.  
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter~!

For the next few minutes Jack just stared at the entrance where the man had been. No no, it wasn’t just some human man. It was a creature, but a creature with a name...

_His name was Mark._

Jack blinked and suddenly felt weak with relief. With a giant sigh he flopped onto his back, his body suddenly turning to jelly. A tiny dose of adrenaline coursed through him, making him tremble slightly. His arms stretched out at his sides as his chest moved with each slightly labored breath. 

_I… I could have died. I almost did! He was so scary, and intense, but…_

His blue eyes stared up at the cave’s ceiling, not seeing it at all. All he could see was that creature’s face. Mark’s face, with his serious eyes and that strong, stubbled jaw.

_I was afraid of him at first. Who wouldn’t be?! The guy was incredibly intimidating! But then, being close to him like that, and seeing his eyes. Those glowing eyes. It felt so strange, almost like I belonged there. Is that right? It made me feel… I don’t know, safe? No that’s not right._

Jack groaned and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. The right word for the cluster of feelings in his chest wouldn’t come to him. 

“I should get back,” he muttered, pushing his confusion out of his mind. “I have no idea how long it’s been since I left, and everyone’s probably freaking out.”

 

The Merrow managed to gather up his things, which the creature had dumped from his bag. It took quite a bit of effort, with him having to crawl all around the floor to reach each item. By the time he finished he was panting and sweating heavily.

_“How… I wish… I… had legs… right about now!”_

Jack let out a quick breath as he finally reached the edge of the cave, his bag slung over his shoulder. It took very little effort to slide into the water since the rocks conveniently sloped downward. The Merrow wiggled himself from the rocky land and into the water.

Being back in the salty sea reminded him how long he’d been out of the water. His body relaxed and he immediately felt at home once he was fully submerged. The cool water surrounding him made his scales and skin hum in content, and he couldn’t help but spin about in the water as he swam to deeper depths. 

Yet he couldn’t push away the fact that these waters were unfamiliar to him. They smelled different and the temperature wasn’t right. His tail twitched nervously as he paused and looked around. 

For the most part all he could see was rocks. Big, bulky black rocks that littered the ocean floor and resisted any plant life. Dark colored fish swam about, all of them rather small and quick. 

Jack looked around, trying desperately to get his bearings. _Where the hell am I? God, I don’t even know…_ He bit his lip and swam to the surface, where he popped his head up and looked to the sun. 

It was high in the sky, settled right in the middle of the vast blue. Jack groaned and slid back under the water. _It’s noon. The sun won’t be able to help me right now. And I can’t afford to wait for it to move._

With a heavy sigh the Merrow sunk deeper and began to swim in the direction he thought was north.

 

After he’d been swimming along carefully for about half an hour, his tail began to ache. The wound on his hip was throbbing, and with each gentle stroke an uncomfortable wave of mild pain would wash over him. But he knew he was getting closer to familiar waters. The air had changed, it wasn’t so heavy anymore, and the water felt much smoother on his scales. 

Jack’s heart dropped to his stomach in relief fifteen minutes later when he saw the ship the humans had arrived on. 

_Oh thank god! I was afraid I was by another island or something!_

He didn’t hesitate to pick up his speed, trying his best to ignore the pain in his tail, and made a beeline for the ship. The Merrow swam beneath it, gaping in awe at its massive size and how it groaned like it was alive. Despite what happened earlier, he still couldn’t help but admire human handiwork. It was rather incredible. 

 

As soon as Jack was past the ship, he recognized the reef. A sense of security and familiarity washed over him, and he noticeably relaxed. He also noticed how incredibly tired he was. 

_Yikes… My body feels so heavy all of a sudden. I guess I’m just super relieved I can see this place again…_

Perhaps he was being dramatic. Sure he’d had a close call, a brush with death. But had he really been that close to dying?

_Are you forgetting that those humans almost kidnapped you? They wanted to take you back to their ship! You would have most certainly died from dehydration, if they didn’t chop you up first. And then there was that thing! It tried to eat you!_

Jack shook his head as he slowed his pace, allowing his tail to breath.

_His name was Mark, and he didn’t necessarily try to eat me,_ he told himself. Like it really mattered. 

_Right. And knowing his name makes it okay that he tried to kill you? Or rape you? Whatever the hell he was doing?_

The Merrow face-palmed at his inner dialogue. _For Christ’s sake just shut up. I’m giving myself a headache._

_Whatever…_

Jack growled. “I think I need help…,” he muttered. 

 

The second he reached his rock, the scene of the crime, his stomach tightened. His eyes widened as he took in the damage.

“Woah…”

The boat, or what was left of it, was splintered and broken. The larger bits had sunken to the bottom, while the smaller splinters still floated on the surface, rocking gently with the waves. Several items that the humans had been carrying were also on the sandy bottom. There wasn’t much left, and to stranger eyes it would have looked like a minor accident. 

But to Jack, it was incredibly horrific. 

He swam slowly down to the wreckage, his eyes scanning every detail. The Merrow picked up a piece of wood and turned it over in his hands, numbly aware of the tiny splinters that pierced his flesh. 

_Did… Did Mark do this? But how? There’s now way he could have done this with his bare hands. He seemed strong, sure, but not this strong. Was it really him that saved me?_

Jack looked around, looking for any other clues. Seeing none, he also saw no sign of the humans. _Did they swim back to shore? Or did their friends come and get them? And what happened after I passed out?_

His many questions made his head spin, and Jack let the wood roll from his hands.

_Just what on earth happened, and why?_

The Merrow shook his head and continued to graze about the area. He picked up different human items, some he recognized, others he didn’t. Yet he couldn’t get himself to focus on them. All he could think about was Mark, how he was rescued, and how the humans had acted. 

Jack bit his lip as he mindlessly picked up a broken and bent harpoon. He ran his finger along the pointed tip, letting his mind wander. 

_They acted so scared when they mentioned a “creature”. I wonder if Mark really did save me, or if it was something else? Whatever tore apart the boat was huge. Nothing Mark’s size could have done that. Hell a shark couldn’t have torn a boat to shreds, and so quickly too._

With a torn sigh, Jack dropped the harpoon and swam wearily over to a group of rocks about ten feet below the surface. One stone in particular curved awkwardly, taking the form of some deformed, faceless monster rearing back its head. The result of such a formation was a deep and rather large pocket within the rocks with a large rocky overhang that covered the “nest” in shadow; a perfect hiding place for an exhausted and confused Merrow. 

Jack settled into the pocket on his side, bringing his tail to his chest and curling into a tight ball. His body ached, and he was just plain tired. 

_I don’t have the energy to swim back home. Just a quick nap wouldn’t hurt. Besides, I’m sure someone will find me soon enough._

Of course, he couldn’t forget what happened the last time he took a nap that day, but his body didn’t seem to care. The Merrow let out a slow breath as his body relaxed into the cool stone. 

_Just a few minutes. It’ll do my tail some good to rest, then I can focus on getting home. I swear I’ll be sleeping for days after this._

He briefly thought of his own, soft bed, and imagined Sam curling up right against his stomach, keeping him company. It didn’t take long for his breathing to deepen, and soon Jack was sleeping peacefully, his body desperate for rejuvenation.

 

Captain Tuc growled as Steels crouched in front of him, stitching up a large bloody gash on the pirate’s forehead.

“Oh quiet down. You’re a bloody pirate, for Christ’s sake.”

 

All of the humans, save for two men still on the ship keeping watch, were on the eastern beach. The group of eight pirates were scattered about the beach, either being tended to or spouting twisted tales of what attacked them. 

Tuc sat on a rock close to the water, glaring out at the ocean as Steels expertly ran a curved needle and thread through the flesh on his temple.

The scholar shook his head as he made another loop with the needle. “You and your men were foolish to try and capture the fish creature. The beast could have killed you.”

With a snort the pirate flicked his cold brown eyes over to the portly man. “The fish wasn’t the problem. If that _thing_ hadn’t known up we’d have ourselves a large sum of gold waiting for us back home.”

Steels scoffed. “You pirates and your obsession with gold. It’s absurd.”

Tuc smirked. “Gold buys us what we want. Booze. Beds. Sex. And ships. Big, beautiful ships. What more could a man want?”

The scholar again shook his head, finishing up the final stitch. He tied a decent knot in the string and cut the extra length off with a small switchblade. “Nevermind that. I need to know what you saw. You must tell me every detail.” Steels took a step back to allow the pirate to get to his feet. Tuc did just that and placed his worn black hat on his head.

“About the beast?”

“ _Yes_ about the beast. We found more evidence today in the palms, and if what you saw was really this… _this thing_ , then I can confidently say that our stay on this island will be extended.”

Tuc rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his broad chest. “Tell me what ye found first. Don’t want ya gettin’ an aneurism trying to hold in your excitement.”

Steels glared at him before reaching into his overstuffed bag that was sitting on the sand next to him. He pulled out a leather bound journal, held tightly together with several thick leather strings. The scholar unwound the strings and thumbed through the yellowed pages. He finally stopped on a page close to the middle of the journal and turned it around for Tuc to see. 

“Here, take a look at this.”

Tuc took a step closer and studied the pages. On the far left one was a very detailed and colored sketch of a seagull. A dead one. 

The bird had obviously been brutally killed. Its once white feathers were riddled with blood, and its wings were broken horrifically. The yellow beak was bent and looked ready to snap in half at the slightest touch. One eye was missing, and the bird’s head was warped and deformed. Even just from the drawing, Tuc could tell the scene had been messy.

On the right page was a bunch of illegible charcoal scribbles, written by Steels himself. A few less impressive sketches filled the margins of the page, these ones depicting claw marks on the trunks of palm trees. 

The pirate raised a brow.

“So ye found a dead bird and some scratch marks? What’s that got to do with the beast?”

Steels sighed and turned the journal back to his own eyes. His blue gaze flicked about each page, half reading, half reciting what he’d discovered. 

“The bird wasn’t killed for food, or for fun. The way it had been bashed against the tree we found it next to was peculiar; deliberate. And the claw marks, on the two trees we found, were easy to track. It looked as if the creature had slid down one, then leapt to the other.” Steels pressed a finger to the right page and dragged it along as he read. “The second tree had a perfect view of the ship, and if the samples we took are correct, they were put there about ten minutes before we dropped anchor. It’s possible the creature was watching us, and purposefully put the seagull’s corpse where we could see it, to either lead us to something or distract us.”

Steels looked back up at Tuc, a proud smirk plastered on his round face. 

Yet Tuc just scoffed. “Your beast couldn’t be that smart. It was probably just craving a kill, needed to crush something. It’s just an animal after all.”

The scholar shot him a dirty look and carefully closed and rewrapped the journal. “That’s your opinion captain. But I think it’s rather smart. All the other evidence has pointed that this being is more than just your average animal.”

Tuc just rolled his eyes ignorantly. 

Steels growled and adjusted his pith helmet. “Think what you will. Just tell me what you saw. Please, I must know.”

The pleading tone in the man’s voice set Tuc’s teeth on edge, and he sighed, turning to look back out at the ocean. 

“We didn’t see anything at first,” he started. “We only heard it. There was this massive gust of wind, nearly knocked us off our feet. And then the thing screeched. It sounded like a goddamn thunderstorm.”

Steels gaped at him in awe. “That thundering was its roar? We heard it from here, thought it was some far off storm.”

The pirate shrugged. “I guess. It’s the only explanation.”

The scholar quickly opened his journal and began to frantically scribble down some notes. “Go on.”

Tuc pinched the bridge of his nose. “We couldn’t see it, nor hear it after that. Either it was under the water or invisible, because we saw nothing. Then it attacked the boat, sent us all flying. Including the fish thing. I saw it land on a rock nearby.” The pirate shook his head. He was still furious that he let such a gem slip from his grasp.

Steels finished his notes and motioned for Tuc to keep going. 

“When I looked back at the boat, all I saw was a pair of big wings and the boat being torn to shreds. The thing was moving so fast I couldn’t see anything else, plus there was a lot of water being splashed around. There might have been a tail of some sort but I couldn’t tell. It completely annihilated the boat, and then it seemingly vanished.” The pirate growled as he recalled what happened next. “I blinked a few times to get the water out of my eyes. I looked away for a few seconds, and the next thing I knew, the thing was gone and so was the fish creature. Vanished,” he snapped his fingers. “Just like that.”

Steels looked at him in awe. “Did you see what color the wings were?”

The pirate raised a brow in question “Black? They looked black, like tar black.”

At that bit of information Steels seemed to deflate. “Oh. The feathers we’ve been finding haven’t been black.”

Tuc shrugged. “The fish had a feather that was about the same size as the ones you’ve been collecting. Seemed rather proud of it.”

Steels immediately perked up. “The fish creature had one? What color?”

“Black, with a faded red tip. It was really faded though, the red. Almost couldn’t see it, even being that close.”

The scholar absorbed the information and let it roll around in his head. “That’s extremely interesting. And you have no idea where the fish creature went?”

Tuc shook his head. “No, but my guess is that the beast snatched him up and ate him. I bet that’s why it attacked us in the first place. It was hungry.”

Steels shrugged and scribbled some more stuff down. “Possibly. Or it could have been protecting its territory. Or maybe it has a mate or nest nearby. There’s hundreds of possibilities.”

The scholar sighed and shook his head and closed his journal. “We may not be even talking about the same creature here. If what you saw was accurate, then the beast you saw was immensely larger than the creature that left the dead bird and claw marks. It may not even be the same being.”

Tuc furrowed his brow and stroked at his beard in thought. “Aye. Those wings were enormous. Almost as big as the fore sails on ol’ Diamond. Whatever they belonged to was big.”

“I don’t think the word ‘big’ covers the size of such a creature.”

 

The two men sat in silence for a moment, their minds slowly turning over what to do next. 

“I think we should stay,” Steels muttered. “This definitely falls under the category for an extended trip.”

“Aye, I agree with ya.” Tuc said, yet he growled internally. _I won’t let that fish thing get away. If it’s still alive, I will get my hands on it._

“Excellent!” Steels clapped his hands together. “I’ll inform the team. They’ll be thrilled. Then I’ll send a message to the museum. How long will we be staying?”

The pirate captain looked out to the sea and let out a low growl. “As long as we need to. We have plenty of supplies to last for three weeks. For the trip back we can gather some stuff here and dip into the emergency supply.”

“Most wonderful. I’ll tell the team immediately.”

Steels walked away, towards his fellow researchers. Tuc stayed where he was, his harsh brown eyes scanning the never-ending horizon. His thoughts were surrounding the fish creature. He couldn’t get the way that tail had glittered like a jewel out of his head, and how the creature acted. It was so playful, and extremely graceful and curious. 

_It would make a great exhibit, like a paid show. I must get my hands on that thing. Even if I have to kill Steel’s obsession to get to it. No matter what…_

Tuc clenched his fists and turned on his heel. He strode almost angrily to Gerb, who was eyeing him warily.

_That creature will be mine._


	10. Not-So-Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaahhhhhh fuck, I'm sorry! I should have updated sooner and I didn't. Took too damn long to try and force this chapter to work. Again, sorry for my negligence!

Jack groaned and rolled over onto his back. An arm came up and draped across his eyes as he slowly woke up. A soft sigh escaped him as he tried to pull himself from the depths of sleep. 

_Ugh, that didn’t seem to help at all. I just feel even more tired,_ he thought. _And gross._ Jack sighed. _Guess I need to bathe and polish._

The Merrow removed his arm from his eyes and rubbed at them. He sat up and dropped his hands into his lap before opening his eyes. After he’d blinked a few times he looked around. 

The orange light of late afternoon made the entire underwater environment glow. Bright orange and pale yellow rays bounced off the rocks and flashed against the scales of passing fish. The various green vegetation seemed to turn gold, and the stillness of air made it seem like he was trapped in a painting.

Jack shot up from his resting nook, shock and disbelief settling into his stomach. _I slept the entire afternoon?! Oh god everyone must be panicking..._ He wasted no time in grabbing his bag and taking off towards the drop-off. 

_Why did no one come find me? Certainly I wasn’t hidden that good! I should have been able to hear someone calling for me…_

The Merrow slung his bag over his shoulder as he swam. In one fluid motion he flew over the edge of the drop and plunged into the inky darkness.As he descended into darkness, the wound on his tail and the ache in his body was forgotten. His encounter with Mark was a distant thought at the back of his mind. 

_I have to get back..._

 

Up in the sky, as the sun began to sink behind the horizon and let the crescent moon take its place in the sky, dark storm clouds rolled lazily across the fading blue. Their swollen black masses cast shadows over the water and sand, bringing the mood of the island to that of a more somber one. 

As a dark shadow in particular slid over the eastern shore, Professor Steels looked up from his journal. His blue eyes watched the foreboding clouds fill the sky, and a displeased look washed over his face. With a sigh he snapped the journal closed and pushed up his round spectacles. The professor hauled himself from his seat on a dead palm and stretched. 

The cargo and supplies had been unloaded from the boats, and the now empty wooden boats were pulled onto the sandy shore. Each one was tied securely to a nearby tree, and a thin layer of palm leaves covered each boat. 

Steels tucked his journal into his bag and then hoisted the heavy thing’s strap over his shoulder with a grunt. He turned his gaze to the sea, where the waves were just beginning to roll with the ever-growing wind.

_It’s going to be a nasty storm,_ the professor thought. _We’ll have to set up camp further into the trees._ He shook his head and made his way into the palms. 

A few meters in, the entire crew of the Diamond was standing around, discussing the upcoming events amongst themselves. Tuc and his First Mate stood off to the side, murmuring back and forth. Gerb would occasionally nod vigorously and look to the ground before meeting his captain’s gaze. 

Steels cursed silently to himself as he watched them. _Those fools. No doubt discussing the fish creature again. All because the poor thing looks like an emerald._

He shook his head and approached them. Tuc met his eyes briefly then muttered something quickly to Gerb. The First Mate nodded and scurried away.  
Tuc folded his arms behind his back and let a relaxed smile grow on his lips. “So, what’s the plan?”

Steels eyed him warily before speaking. “We’ll set up camp about a half mile from the beach. That way we will be safe from the water. This storm is going to be a bad one.”

The pirate nodded. “Aye. There’ll be plenty of lightning.”

“Will the ship be alright?”

“Aye. She c’n handle it.”

“If you say so. I think we should head out. I want a fire going before dark.”

Tuc chuckled. “Scared of the creatures in the night Professor?”

Steels scoffed. “Absolutely not. But we have no idea what lurks around here at night. Plus I don’t want another incident to occur like last time.”

“Last time?”

“Yes, when we first started our expeditions. We stayed the night once before, and around midnight, something came into the camp and killed three men. We never recovered one of the bodies.”

“And you think your beast was to blame,” Tuc said. It wasn’t a question. 

Steels nodded. “It had to be. It came out of nowhere, silent as Death himself. It killed those poor boys so quickly, and then was gone.”

Tuc shrugged. “A fire it is then.” He lifted an arm into the air and let out a loud sharp whistle. Everyone quieted down and turned to look at him. 

“We’ll set up camp further into the trees!”, he shouted. “Get your gear and start walking.”

And so they went, disappearing deeper into the palms just as the sun sunk down behind the horizon completely. 

 

Jack burst into the castle just as the night lamps of the Merrow town flickered to life. The doors of the castle banged loudly as he flung them open, his eyes wide and chest heaving. The grand hall was void of Merrows and completely empty, and Jack was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps he could sneak off to his room and-

_“JACK!”_

The Merrow whirled around, only to have Sam crash into his chest at full speed. Jack spun through the water from the force of the little fish, too stunned to even shout in surprise.

He finally came to a stop and looked down at his companion. Sam was pressed desperately against the Merrow’s chest, his eye squeezed shut. A tiny whimper escaped him as he nuzzled Jack’s chest and wrapped his tail tightly around the Merrow’s wrist.

Jack let a small smile form on his lips as he hugged the fish tightly and stroked Sam’s head reassuringly. 

“Hey buddy. It’s alright, I’m fine.”

“Jack!”

The Merrow looked up to see Felix and three other Merrows swimming towards him at a breakneck speed. There were two females and one other male.

The male was Cry. He was a stable hand, and one of Jack and Felix’s closest friends. The Merrow wore a giant white shell over his face as a mask, which had two holes drilled through for his eyes. His tail was pure white, one of the rarer colors. The bright scales seemed to glow in the lamp light of the early evening. 

Also accompanying Felix and Cry was Signe and Marzia, two healers that worked in the palace. Marzia stayed close to Felix’s side, her thick brown hair flowing about her shoulders. Her pale pink tail brushed against Felix’s bright blue occasionally. Those big brown eyes looked over Jack worriedly, yet she stayed by Felix’s side and flicked her white fin about nervously. 

Signe was the other girl. Her light brown hair was pulled up in a tight bun, and her orange tail always reminded Jack of the orange seen in the sky at sunset. Blue eyes immediately looked him over from a distance, making sure he wasn’t seriously wounded. 

Jack shifted his bag to cover his injured hip.

The group continued towards him, and Jack scooted back a few inches just in case they couldn’t get themselves stopped in time. 

They did, and slowed to stop just a few feet in front of him. Felix wasted no time in reaching out and yanking Jack into a crushing hug. He grunted in surprise as Felix squeezed him.

“Shit man where were you?!” The blonde pulled back and peered into Jack’s face. “You’ve been gone for hours! _Hours!_ Everyone is panicking!”

Jack flushed red in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck. Sam gurgled and peered up at Felix. 

“I, well, I guess I got a little caught up in some stuff,” he said nervously. 

Felix scoffed. _“You guess.”_

Signe suddenly sighed and gently shoved Felix out of the way. “Enough of your scolding. Give the poor guy some space.”

Felix spluttered and gaped at the Merrow. “ _Poor guy?!_ He did this to us on purpose!”

Signe shook her head and ushered the young prince further into the palace. “Felix shut your trap.”

The blue Merrow grumbled and followed the two in the building. Marzia giggled beside him while Cry shook his head. 

Once the five of them were in the palace, Cry shut the doors. Jack smirked at Felix’s obvious pout.

“Oh don’t be so hurt Felix! She’s only nice to patients,” Jack said with a chuckle. 

Felix only shot him a look before crossing his arms and turning away. 

Jack continued to chuckle as Signe and Marzia pulled him down the hall. Cry patted Felix’s shoulder reassuringly. 

“So,” Marzia started as the three of them swam side-by-side. “Where were you? We heard what happened earlier.”

“Yeah,” Signe chirped. “Felix told us what he thought happened with Drayl. We’re so, _so sorry_ for not being there.”

Jack shook his head and waved it off. “It’s fine. Nothing happened.” He wasn’t ready to share his recent troubles with his friends yet. Signe shot him a suspicious glare while Marzia gave him a sympathetic look.

As the three of them moved deeper into the palace, Jack winced. His tail was beginning to sting, and it throbbed even stronger than before. 

Cry came up beside them and saw him grimacing. The pale Merrow nudged Felix, who shot him a glare. Cry turned to Jack and brought the group to halt. 

“Jack? You alright?”

Jack gave him a quick nod. “Y-Yeah, I’m good.”

Sam looked up at him and gurgled in disapproval. 

At that point Felix turned around, and Jack frantically tried to cover his wound with his bag. Yet Felix was too good.

“Fuck Jack are you hurt?!” He rushed over and pried Jack’s hands and bag away from his hip. His jaw dropped as soon as he saw the wound. Signe and Marzia both gasped.

“Oh my god. This is _bad_ Jack. You shouldn’t be swimming with this,” Felix said seriously.

“Felix I’m fine. It doesn’t even hurt that bad,” Jack tried to protest. 

The blonde shook his head furiously. “I cannot let you keep going like this. We need to get you to the infirmary now.”

“Felix, really-”

“Enough! I will not stand to have my tail chopped because you were idiotic enough to get hurt and strain yourself. Quit complaining and let us help you.”

Jack grumbled, but allowed Cry and Felix to drape his arms over their shoulders. They dragged him to the infirmary, with Signe and Marzia hot on their heels. 

 

Night had fallen. An inky blackness brought on by the storm clouds seemed to have swallowed the earth whole, leaving nothing but a black abyss. Thunder rumbled, low and menacing. Then a brilliant flash of silent light burst in the sky. More thunder nipped at its heels. And then the rain came. 

It started as a slow and steady drizzle, with a soft breeze to go with it, and stayed that way for a good half hour. And then in a matter of seconds, it became a torrential downpour. Fat drops of water crashed into the sea, and a powerful gale shoved the rain into a slanted sheet of freezing water.

 

Within the human camp, many were wide awake, unable to sleep with the thunder and lightning cracking above their heads. Their tents served as perfect shelter from the rain, but did little to shield them from the bite of the wind. 

 

Up among the clouds, amidst the flashing lightning and drumming thunder, a strange, winged creature fought against the howling wind. It flapped its massive wings, trying desperately to move forward. Rain glistened off its water-slick horns and drenched feathers. Its sharp fangs glinted with each flash of lightning as the creature snarled. Glowing eyes did little to pierce the darkness around it.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning, bright and hot, exploded right beside it. Its roar of pain was drowned out by a crash of thunder and cut off as the creature was thrown, momentarily rendered unconscious. It began to tumble towards the raging waves below at an incredible speed. A few flashes of lightning illuminated the creature as it fell, revealing a long tail trailing behind the creature. The wind roared around it, tossing the thing back and forth, rolling it in its jaws like a toy. 

As the creature fell, it suddenly shrank considerably in size. Its wings became smaller, and its body changed shape.

Just as another thundering BOOM filled the air, the creature plunged into the thrashing ocean, back first. It was swallowed whole, and never resurfaced. 

The storm continued to rage on, not caring about the single being that had been discarded into the sea. Thunder cracked in the sky, and lightning flashed. 

The storm had only just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there ya have it! Next chapter will be up the day after tomorrow at the latest :3


	11. The Beast

Jack sighed. _This officially sucks._

He was lying in one of the infirmary beds, comfortably propped up on several pillows. White sheets pooled around his waist and covered his tail. The thick grey blanket that accompanied each bed was also draped over the sheets, keeping him incredibly warm and cozy. The lights had been dimmed, as it was close to the evening curfew.

Sam was sleeping next to him, his little eel-like tail coiled tightly around Jack’s left thumb. The little green fish was curled up and pressed firmly against the Merrow’s left side, unwilling to move. An occasional trail of bubbles would trail up from the sleeping creature.

Yet Jack was far from comfortable or relaxed.

The young prince fiddled with the hem of the sheets as he sat in silence and semi-darkness, recounting what had taken place not an hour before.

 

_Once his friends managed to haul his protesting self to the infirmary, Signe and Marzia went about patching him up. While they worked to thoroughly disinfect the gash on his tail, Felix went to inform Jack's hysterical family that the young prince had returned._

_When his parents and four older siblings came bursting through the doors, Jack had just gotten settled into the bed. He expected his parents to be furious. He'd cringed when his mother advanced on him with the speed of a sailfish. Yet when she pulled him into a hug strong enough to challenge a squid’s grip, Jack was thoroughly shocked._

_“M-Ma?”_

_His mother shook her head and hugged him tighter. She bent her pale purple tail to partially kneel on the bed next to him._

_“God Jack I was so worried,” she whispered. Her voice was tight and trembled on the verge of tears._

_Jack bit his lip and reluctantly hugged her back. “I'm sorry Ma.”_

_He hated, absolutely_ hated, _making his mother cry. It always made him feel sick to his stomach._

_Once she seemed to calm down, Jack's mother pulled away and turned to her other children. She held Jack's hands tight in her own._

_Next to step up was his sisters. They hugged him and scolded his actions plenty. But in the end they were relieved he was back and okay. They shed a few tears, which hurt Jack’s heart, but he managed to keep it together._

_Then Simon, his other brother, slugged him gently on the arm. “You had us worried kid,” he said with a smile. Jack smiled back and shrugged. “Sorry.”_

_Simon chuckled and waved it off. Although he appeared standoff-ish and not really concerned, Jack knew better. Simon wasn’t one to show much emotion._

_And then there was Malcolm. He hadn’t said a word the entire time, and he didn’t speak as he wrapped his arms around Jack’s shoulders. The blue Merrow then abruptly left. Jack stared after him as he disappeared through the door, a little stunned and confused._

_Before he could ask what was wrong with his brother, his father smothered him. Jack grimaced as the King snatched him into a crushing hug._

_“My god Sean what is wrong with you?!” His voice held no scolding tone, just one of worry. The King pulled back to peer into his son’s face. “Don’t you ever do that again! First the nosebleed, and then you disappear for hours on end? You’re going to give me a heart attack!”_

_Jack could only smirk and shake his head, still partially blown away that his parents weren’t furious with him. “I won’t, I promise.”_

 

After that, Signe and Marzia had ushered everyone out of the room, saying Jack needed to rest. His family left reluctantly, and then Cry and Felix excused themselves as well. Before Felix could leave though, Jack had asked him to check on Malcolm.

“Sure thing bro,” the blonde had said. 

Signe and Marzia got him settled in for the night, checking his bandages, making sure he took some painkillers, and giving him a quick dose of antibiotics. Then they left as well, leaving him alone.

Sam never left his side the entire time, and had purred for a good half hour to help soothe the troubled Merrow. The little fish had fallen asleep soon after.

 

Jack let his head fall back on the pillow, and his eyes traveled up to the ceiling. He could hear the thunder rumbling up above, and he could only imagine what kind of storm was raging. There was a disturbance in the water, and every Merrow could feel it. 

As he listened to the symphony of the storm, the image of that creature, Mark, popped into his head. Jack blinked as he recalled those glowing amber eyes, but also the brown ones. Then he thought of those giant black wings. 

_Strange. Why do I think of him now?_

Yet as he replayed those wings stretching out above him, a pang of worry shot through his body. 

_I wonder if he flies a lot. What if he’s out in that storm? Does he struggle to fly in such conditions? Just how strong are his wings? I bet they’re really warm._

Jack shook himself from his thoughts. Why was he worried about the creature anyway? Mark tried to _kill him._ Why should he be concerned about his potential murderer?

_Because he was cute._

The Merrow face-palmed. _Just because he was… incredibly gorgeous, doesn’t you should linger on him. Let it go. You probably won’t ever see him again._

And yet the winged being stayed stuck in his mind. 

Jack growled and shimmied further under the sheets. He rolled over to lay on his left side, keeping all pressure off his wounded right hip. With a sigh he pulled the sheet up to his chin and snuggled into the mattress. Jack pulled Sam closer, careful not to wake the little fish, and hugged him to his chest. Sam gurgled sleepily and tightened his tail around Jack’s thumb. 

The Merrow relaxed a little and closed his eyes. He was still exhausted, and a proper night’s rest was definitely needed. His body still ached, and his tail was sore, from both the gash and the stomping it’d taken. 

Jack let out a breath and tried to relax even more. _Just go to sleep,_ he thought desperately. _Just go to sleep, and you’ll forget about him. Shove him out of your head._

Yet that did nothing for him. Mark was glued to his brain.

 

Eventually his eyes began to droop after about an hour of staring off into space. A yawn escaped him, and he felt sleep approaching. It didn’t take long before he was floating. As he drifted off with Sam curled up against him, he saw an image of Mark standing before him behind his eyelids. The guy looked incredibly pleased, and his brown eyes were soft and full of… something. Kindness, maybe? Or was it love? 

Jack shifted in his bed and shoved the image away. _There’ll be no dreamin’ ‘bout that guy._ Yet as he fell into a deep sleep, the winged being creeped into the recesses of his mind and filled his dreams. All through the night, as the storm howled and raged, he dreamt of nothing but Mark.

And in his sleep Jack smiled. 

 

Morning came. The sky was a pale grey, and spent rain clouds rolled across the hidden blue. A gentle yet chilly breeze blew across Lezeke and made the almost black waves roll.  
Within the human camp, most everyone was already awake, even though the sun had just barely shown its face. Several fires were going, and the smell of strong coffee filled the air. A few people, man and woman alike, tended to the fires, where they hovered over boiling pots of the black jitter juice and pans of cooking food. Others were littered about, some sitting, some shaking out drenched clothes, and others gathering more wood. 

 

In a tent towards the outskirts of the camp, Professor Steels scribbled madly in his journal. He was recording the experience of the storm, how he’d been afraid that it might have been a hurricane. The Diamond had survived, though her supervising crew reported that a lightning strike had set fire to one of the sails, but was otherwise unharmed. Captain Tuc and Gerb and few other men had gone over an hour earlier to help with repairs. It was their ship after all. 

Steels finished his morning writing session and let himself out of his tent. The air was fresh and smelled clean, but cold and bone-chilling. The professor made sure to grab his heavy coat before going out to one of the fire pits. 

As he neared the fire, a young woman looked up from the pan she was stirring and smiled at him. She had brilliant green eyes and strikingly red hair. A light dusting of freckles covered the bridge of her nose. 

Steels nodded in her direction as he poured himself a cup of black coffee. He took a sip, made a face at its bitter taste, and dumped it out. 

The woman chuckled as she stirred her pan, its contents sizzling. “Taste bad?”

Steels smirked and shrugged. “No, just not used to it.”

The woman laughed. “You don’t seem like the campfire coffee type of guy, Professor.”

“Indeed I’m not.”

Steels waved goodbye and made his way through the trees towards the beach. It was a quiet morning, and the waves always helped soothe his mind. Back home, his house was right on the coast. The ocean wasn’t an unfamiliar sight. 

Yet as he approached the beach, he could see some of the sandy turf through the trees. But there was something else there, a large black object. Something was on the beach. The Professor furrowed his brow and picked up his pace. _What is that thing? It looks huge…_

And when he broke from the palms and stood facing the dark rolling waves, his jaw nearly hit the sand. What lay on the shore was something his mind couldn’t even begin to comprehend. 

 

It was an enormous black beast. The being was stretched out on the sand, with its hind legs partially submerged in the water. It seemed to be either dead or unconscious. 

The front end of the creature was similar to that of a wolf, and covered in black fur. It had a large, canine-like head, about the size of a man’s torso,and a large snout with a black nose. Big triangular ears sat atop the creature’s head. It had dog-like legs with large paws and sharp black claws. The only thing not wolfish about the thing’s front end was two massive, spiraled horns that sprouted from the sides of the creature’s head. They were a strange greyish-brown in color. 

On the creature’s back was a humongous pair of black feathered wings. One was pinned under the creature’s body, while the other was partially elevated in the air and somewhat folded. It made the creature appear much larger than it actually was from a distance. 

Steels took a step back, utterly shocked. He stared at the thing for a good thirty seconds before his researcher brain burst into action. _Wings. It has wings! Check the size of the feathers, see if they’re similar to the others we found. Also study the hind end to get the full image! There’s no time to go back and get the others!_

The Professor cautiously stalked closer to the creature, his eyes never leaving the thing’s face. It was unclear if this beast was actually alive or not, and he didn’t want to be taken by surprise.

He approached the creature’s back, still gaping at its face. It took a bit of maneuvering, but he managed to get in between the appendages without stepping on or tripping over the pinned wing. Once he was where he wanted to be, he waited a few seconds. The creature didn’t move. 

_It must be dead; drowned and washed up by the sea._

Steels let out a breath and immediately turned to the wings. He gingerly reached out and touched the one that was awkwardly bent. The black feathers were soft and silky under his fingertips. They were big, the feathers, maybe even a bit bigger than the ones he’d been collecting. Steels peered closer at one of the primaries and gently lifted it from the others. 

It had a faded red tip, almost too faded to see.

A thousand questions popped into the professor’s head. _Why did the fish creature have a feather just like this? Perhaps he found it? What does it mean? Is that why Tuc and his men were attacked? Is there a connection between these two creatures? Was this the creature that attacked the boat?_

He shook his head. “I must take a feather to study,” he mumbled. Steels shifted his grip on the feather down to its base and tugged sharply, trying to yank the feather from the flesh of the wing. It didn’t give with the first try, so he yanked again, this time much harder. 

There was a startled grunt, and then a huff. Steels froze and slowly turned his gaze to the creature’s face. 

Two glowing, pupil-less, amber eyes stared back at him. 

The creature had tilted its head back to gaze at him, its eyes unblinking. Grains of sand scittered away from the creature’s snout as it breathed heavily, just staring at him. 

Steels did what any ordinary human being would have done: He panicked.

He drew in a sharp, startled breath and scrambled away. As he quickly stumbled backwards, he tripped over the second wing and fell. Steels landed heavily on the very same wing that tripped him.

The creature let out a sharp yelp as it rolled and struggled to its feet, pulling its pained wing out from underneath the frightened human. Steels tumbled from the abrupt motion, and ended up on his butt in the sand. He shook his head and looked up at the beast. 

It was stumbling about, trying to regain its balance. The creature’s wings were slightly spread at its side as it wobbled. An occasional whine or grumble would come from the creature. It kept its head down, and its ears lay flat against its skull. It looked extremely disorientated, as if it had gotten up too fast.

As Steels watched in slight awe and terror, he took note of the creature’s hind end. Instead of fur, there were feathers. These were solid black, and ran all the way down the creature’s hocks. There they abruptly stopped, and grey, scaled skin began. The creature’s feet reminded him of a dragon’s, with three toes, a dewclaw, and long, wicked black talons. 

The creature continued to stagger, and Steels had the brains to get to his feet. He also took note of the creature’s tail. It was about the same length as the beast’s body, and was almost cat-like. It looked to be a mix of fur and feathers, and had sharp, pointed tip, like a spear. The tail whipped back and forth as the creature finally seemed to regain its balance.

With a snort the beast shook its head, sand and fur flying up into the air. It then shifted its gaze to Steels, who stiffened and tried his best not to make any sudden movements. The beast huffed and raised its head, its black ears swiveling forward. Those amber eyes blinked, and never left the human. 

Now that the creature was at its full height, Steels could now see that the beast was well over seven feet tall. Steels suddenly felt incredibly helpless and impossible before this being. 

The creature sniffed the air, never taking its eyes off the human. It then growled, deep in its chest. Steels trembled as the sound sent shivers down his spine. The beast’s eyes flashed, and it curled its lip in a snarl, revealing rather long fangs. Steels watched in horror as the creature lowered its head and turned towards him. Its wings spread out at its sides, making it seem much bigger and meaner than before, and its tail flicked back and forth, low to the ground. The tips of the creature's horns seemed to point right at him. It continued to growl as it began to stalk towards him, slow and steady. 

Steels took a shaky step back. He was frozen to the spot in fear, and all he could focus on were those eyes. Even as the creature creeped closer, he found he couldn't move more than an inch at a time. The professor took another step back, and another. Yet as fate would have it, he stepped back on a rock. He gave a shout as his ankle twisted and he fell backwards, arms flailing. 

The creature, startled by his mishap, snarled and lunged at him. Steels watched in terror as the beast flew at him, paws outstretched and ready to slice him to bits. 

_CRACK!_

Steels flinched as the sound of a gunshot filled the air. The creature suddenly howled in pain and landed awkwardly on the sand next to the fallen professor. It snarled and whirled to the right, towards the north. Steels also looked in that direction.

It was Tuc. He stood at the front of a small boat that was being furiously rowed by the rest of the men. The pirate had his pistol raised, and the barrel was still smoking. A look of disbelief and wonder was on his face. 

The creature snarled again, and roared angrily at the approaching men. Steels was forced to cover his ears as the booming, thunderous sound filled the area and rippled the nearby water. And then the beast took off, running down the beach. Tuc fired again, and Steels watched as the creature stumbled with a yelp of pain. The beast suddenly opened its wings, and flapped them furiously while it ran. Then just before it hit the water’s edge, it leapt into the air. Those giant wings flapped hard at least four times before the creature managed to soar high up into the sky. It roared again, and shot straight up. In a matter of seconds, the beast flew into the clouds and disappeared.


	12. The Prophecy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a little dry. Would have added more but it's already _so_ long. Anyway enjoy!

The young Merrow prince slept for sixteen hours straight. Signe and Marzia checked on him regularly, they even tried to wake him up to drink or take more medicine. Yet he didn’t wake up. Jack only slept, dreaming odd things and barely moving.

In the dead hours of the morning though, he broke out in a bad fever. His heart rate had increased, as had his breathing. Signe sat with him for about three hours, treating him to cold compresses and forcing his hardly conscious self to drink. Then just before the sun broke over the horizon, his fever diminished. Marzia took over for Signe, allowing the orange Merrow to rest. Marzia then left around mid-morning seeing that Jack was going to be alright. 

It wasn’t until a little after noon that Jack awoke.

 

He let out a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. Jack had to blink a few times to clear his vision of sleep, and he rubbed at his bleary eyes with the back of his hand. With a small grunt he rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. 

_I feel better. A little hungry though._

Jack gingerly sat up and pulled back the sheets. He immediately looked to his hip. 

The square bandage was still secured in place with several strips of tape, and there was no evidence of bleeding. Jack poked it, and found it only to be a tad bit sore. With a smirk he rose from the bed and scanned the infirmary. There was no one else there. 

The prince swam slowly from the infirmary, cruising for some food. He immediately went for the kitchen, yet loud voices in the dining hall stopped him as he passed.  
Curious, Jack slowed to a stop and peered through the slightly opened door. 

It was his family. They were all seated and talking amongst themselves while the servants served food and swam busily around setting down dishes and filling goblets. 

Jack swallowed and retreated from the door. He hadn’t eaten with them for a few weeks now. Just because he was always gone. Always away from the palace, from the kingdom itself. 

_I should eat with them today. They deserve that much, after my stunt yesterday._ Jack clenched his fists and took a deep breath. 

“C’mon Jack you can do this,” he muttered to himself. 

But what about yesterday? He hadn’t told them what happened, and they would no doubt ask what happened to him. It would be easy to come up with a small lie, but he wasn’t sure if it would stick.

“Problem?”

Jack jumped and whirled around. He immediately got ready to bolt. His nerves were still a little frazzled after yesterday, with all the human nonsense, and then… Mark.

It was Malcolm who had startled him. The blue Merrow had a brow raised in confusion, and three bound tablet books cradled in his arm. Jack relaxed and cleared his throat. 

“N-No, no problem.”

Malcolm smirked and swam towards the door. “How ya feelin’?” 

“Better, I guess. I feel rested, not near as tired or anything.”

“Good.” Malcolm opened the door and swam partially through. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at his younger brother. “Let’s eat then.”

Jack cursed silently to himself. _Damn. This is going to be awkward…_

He hesitantly followed his brother into the dining hall. Upon entering, his parents looked up from their meal. Jack took a deep breath as his father stayed seated and his mother rose from her seat. A deep look of concern was written all over her face. 

As she approached Jack, he couldn’t help but notice the tension in her shoulders. She was really worried about something. 

Jack accepted her hug as she came close, and he gingerly hugged her back. She pulled away after a silent second and studied his face. The queen didn’t say a word. Concerned, Jack flicked his tail. 

“Ma? What’s wrong?”

After another moment of silence she cupped his cheek with one hand. Her dark blue eyes flicked about his face as she studied him. 

“Are you sure you’re alright Jack?" she finally asked. "You gave us quite a scare last night.”

Jack raised a brow. “What d’you mean?”

His mother raised her brow in mild surprise. “You don’t remember, do you?” She shook her head and sighed. “Goes to prove just how bad it was.”

“How bad what was? Ma tell me.” Jack took his mother’s hands in his own and searched her worried face. Her words were scaring him. After everything that happened yesterday, he didn’t know what to expect.

“You had a fever, Jack,” his mother finally responded. “A bad one at that. We thought…” She glanced over her shoulder at her husband. The king gave her a small nod of encouragement. 

“We thought we were going to lose you,” the queen finished as she turned back to her son. 

Jack blinked. _Lose me? It couldn’t have been that bad, right? A little scratch like that, come on! I didn’t even lose that much blood…_

He shook his head. “R-Really? That bad huh?”

His mother nodded. There were tears in her eyes. 

Jack let out a breath and pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “I feel fine and a little hungry.”

At that his mother immediately perked up. “Really?” she asked as he looked into his eyes, searching for a hint of a lie. Seeing none, she smiled. “I’ll tell the cook to get something for you. You sit tight hun.”

With that she patted his arm and swam gracefully through the servant doors that led straight to the kitchen.

 

Jack smiled after her, glad to see her somewhat happy. Then he turned to the table. He slowly made his way over to his seat, the one closest to the door, and sat down. With a deep breath he lifted his gaze and looked around the large rectangular table. 

His sisters and brothers were eyeballing him, throwing him a smile when they made eye contact. The king had been watching him thoughtfully, but was now eating heartily. He still glanced up occasionally to meet Jack’s gaze. Not a word was spoken, and Jack was eternally grateful for the silence. 

 

The rest of the meal went off without any awkward encounters. His family left the events of yesterday untouched, made small talk, and teased each other as was normal. Jack managed to wolf down two helpings of fried seaweed and parrot fish before excusing himself. 

“Jack maybe you should lay down for a bit,” his mother suggested as he swam out the door.

“I will Ma, no worries,” Jack called over his shoulder. 

But a nap was the last thing on his mind. 

 

All throughout his meal his thoughts had wandered to Mark. And why not? He had every right to be interested in the man or… whatever he was. 

_Perhaps he’s a fallen angel? Or some sort of winged god of war? He certainly has all the necessary requirements to be a god, with his good looks, those muscles, the wings-_

Jack shook himself from his thoughts. _Enough you smitten idiot._

Instead of heading for his room, or even the infirmary, he went straight to the library. He had the feeling that whatever he needed to know about Mark would be there. Though he found it strange that he’d never come across anything similar to the subject in his many years of required study. He’d learned plenty about almost every other living thing in the world, but nothing about a man with wings. 

Jack could retell every legend he’d read about the Isle of Sumotra. About the Siorcmen, their neighboring enemy. Even a few things about the humans, and their history. He also knew such things like how certain birds fly south for the winter, and that giant things called elephants carry their young in utero for almost 700 days. 

But not once had he read anything about a winged man.

 

The young Merrow swam hesitantly through the open doors of the library. It was a quiet place, with numerous shelves filled with bound tablets and carvings and artifacts. Several chairs and benches were tucked in convenient corners or open spaces, and large windows on the back wall allowed a grand view of the town outside. 

Jack made his way toward one of the back shelves, searching for listings of strange creatures and/or winged beings. He found a promising bundle of tablets and scanned the carvings. Seeing nothing on the first page, he turned to the second. A sharp _clink_ echoed throughout the quiet space. 

After he scanned most of the book and found nothing, Jack put it back in its place on the shelf. He picked up another and sighed. 

_This could take a while._

 

A few hours later, Jack tossed away what felt like the thousandth false hope he had. It made a loud and disorienting _clu-clunk_ as it collided with the other tossed tablets. Jack ran his fingers through his hair and let out a frustrated breath. 

“Not a single thing,” he muttered. 

Not one tablet, wood carving, artifact, not one mentioned anything about a winged man with amber eyes. There was nothing. 

Jack grumbled in disappointment and went about picking up the tablets. His brain was fried and now he really _was_ ready for a nap. 

As he placed the last tablets on the shelf, he heard a slight _whoosh_ behind him. Jack turned to find Malcolm hovering in the doorway of the library, watching him.

 

For a moment neither brother said a word. Then Malcolm cleared his throat. 

“Looking for something?”

Jack bit his lip. _If anyone can help me find something in here, it’s Malcolm. He’s pretty much read everything in here._

“Uh yeah actually.”

“Really? Thought you were all about exploring, not reading.”

“I read! Just not, not often.” Jack glared at him and crossed his arms. Malcolm chuckled and swam further into the library.

“Relax, I’m just teasing.” The blue Merrow looked around the library before turning to his brother. “So, whatcha looking for?”

Jack took a breath and squared his shoulders. “I’m actually trying to find anything about a certain creature.”

“Interesting,” Malcolm said as he headed to the Aquatic Organisms section. “Which creature?”

“Well, I’m not sure exactly.”

Malcolm stopped and turned to face him. “Not sure?”

“Yeah, well, it has wings, and it looks like… like a man?”

The older Merrow paused. “Wait… like _bird wing_ wings? And like a human man?”

“Y-Yeah.”

Malcolm furrowed his brow. “Sean, where did you see this thing? Was it in a ship or something?”

Jack froze. _Shit, I can’t tell him about it. He has no idea that I go to the surface. If I tell him I saw it flying in the sky, he’ll get suspicious. And if I tell him I saw it in a sunken ship, he’ll want to see it too._

“U-Uh no, I didn’t see it. I just heard some flying fish talking about it. Said it was really strange.”

For a moment Malcolm didn’t say anything, and Jack just about chewed on his nails from nerves. Then the blue Merrow furrowed his brow and gripped his chin in thought.

“Winged man, huh?”

Jack almost fainted with relief. “Yeah, that’s what they said.”

Malcolm nodded then turned quickly towards the back of the library. “I think I saw something about that in the Papers.”

“Papers?”

“Yeah, in the paper pod,” Malcolm said as he took off towards the far corner.

“Paper pod? What are you even talking about?”

“Shut up and I’ll show you.”

Jack grumbled and raced after his brother. They came to a stop at a door nestled into the far corner of the room. Malcolm didn’t hesitate to open it and swim inside. Jack followed, a little unsure of what was in store.

The room was practically empty, except for a large glass sphere in the center of the room. Jack could immediately see stacks upon stacks of yellowed pieces of parchment and paper inside, all tucked away and safe from the water. The contents of the pod rested on a series of shelves that sat high above the surface of the water within the pod. Wire mesh kept the artifacts from falling into the water. Several seats for sitting were just above the water, allowing a Merrow to sit above water and handle the papers without getting them wet.

Jack gaped in awe as Malcolm swam underneath the sphere. He turned his body upwards, and Jack watched as his brother’s head popped free from the surface within the bubble. Malcolm motioned Jack to join him.

With plenty of caution, Jack swam under the ball and and joined his brother inside it. His head broke free of the water and he drew in a breath.

Malcolm smirked at him before he grabbed a small towel that hung on a nearby rack and dried his hands. Jack looked around, still in a bit of shock, as his brother swam over to one of the seats. It was just a square plank attached to the side of the pod. Malcolm hoisted himself up into the seat and dried his hands even further. 

Jack cleared his throat as his brother watched him. “So, this is the paper pod?”

“Yep. Built for the purpose of storing paper materials.”

“And how come this is the first I’ve ever seen or heard about it?”

Malcolm shrugged. “They went over it in lecture one day. You probably ditched.”

Jack grumbled.

With a chuckle Malcolm set aside the towel and reached for a leather-bound book. He flipped it open and scanned a few pages. 

“Ah, here we are,” Malcolm said with satisfaction. He turned the book towards Jack, who swam a bit closer to study it. “This sound familiar?”

There were words written on the page, not in the human language that they all spoke, but in an old, almost dead language. Yet they were required to learn it as children, though he barely remembered half the words. Jack recognized a few of them, but not enough for the material to make sense. But he was more concerned about the picture on the opposite page. 

It was a strange drawing, very square and hard to follow. But Jack could plainly see a human-like figure with large wings stretching up towards the sun and clouds. It stood on a mountain that overlooked the entire island below, making the creature appear to be the ruler of the land. 

Jack blinked as he studied the drawing. “What do the words say?”

Malcolm turned the book back to him and read the words. He mumbled them under his breath before translating.

“The winged creature is like no other. It deceives all that meet it, and flies away like a breath of air, fast and almost unseen. One came to us one day, yet they kept themselves in shadow. Said the name of their species was...," Malcolm squinted at the page as he struggled to translate the next word.

"...Aviskin."

“Aviskin,” Jack murmured under his breath. _It’s such a pretty name. Is that what Mark is? An Aviskin?_

Malcolm went on reading. "It left us with a note that took years to translate. These creatures tend to be very pack-oriented, like wild dogs. Venators in the area say that the Aviskins steal food occasionally. Not much else is known.”

Jack let the words roll around in his head as Malcolm continued to read to himself. _So the Aviskins have been around for a long time. But why have we never heard of them before?_

“Oh here’s something,” Malcolm suddenly spoke up. He turned the book back to Jack and pointed at the center of the far right page. There was a column of words, bolded to stand out greatly from the other words. Jack scanned them, and caught the word _Sumotra_ quite easily. As he read them, Malcolm started to recite the thing. His deep voice echoed throughout the pod, and sent shivers down Jack’s spine.

_“Nuair a shíneann an fharraige suas chun na spéire,”_ Malcolm started.

_“Is nuair a scarann an spéir an fharraige._

_Baileoidh stoirmeacha le fearg inaithnithe._

_Tarlóidh scriosadh agus ár._

_Buailfidh gainimh is uisce le chéile._

_Éireoidh imeagla agus sceoin._

_Aistreoidh duine go beirt, beirt go duine._

_Tumann oileánn Sumotra faoin uisce._

_Tá gach rud caillte agus faic faighte._

_Glanfar an laoch.”_

 

“Whoa,” Jack murmured. “It sounds so cool. What is it?” he asked his brother. Malcolm smirked and studied the words. 

“It’s a prophecy, one about Sumotra.”

“Really? Then why is it in with the Aviskin stuff?”

“It’s apparently the translation of the note that the Aviskin left. Wanna hear the human translation?”

“Uh yeah!” Jack snorted in mild disbelief. “Why are you even asking?”

Malcolm chuckled turned the book back to himself. Then he began to read. 

_“When the Sea reaches up to touch the Sky,_

_And the Sky dives into the Sea,_

_Storms will gather with rage untold_

_And destruction will unfold._

_Sand and water will converge,_

_Fear itself will emerge._

_Two becomes one, one becomes two_

_The Isle of Sumotra submerged_

_All is lost, and nothing is gained_

_The hero shall be purged.”_

 

Jack let out a low whistle. “Wow. That’s pretty intense. What does it mean?”

Malcolm shrugged. “No clue. But it seems pretty literal. Seems like if something from the ocean were to mingle or become friends with something from the sky, then things will get ugly.”

“But,” Jack shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense. Seagulls dive into the sea all the time, and nothing ever happens there.”

Malcolm shrugged again. “Who knows. Why are you so worried about this anyway?”

Jack tensed. “N-No reason. Just curious.”

The older Merrow eyed him warily before setting the book back in its proper place. 

“Well, whatever it means, I’d take it seriously. These are old writings, from our ancestors. They knew what they were talking about back then.” Malcolm scooted off the seat and sank under the water. Jack followed him. 

“My advice,” Malcolm continued as they left the pod. “Is to stay away from the island for a while. I know you’ve come close to it in your adventures, but be wary. I’d stay at home for a while if I was you.”

“But why?”

“I’m not sure. But I just feel it would be best not to dwell too much on this, okay?” He came to a stop just outside the pod room, Jack at his side. “Something tells me that the prophecy is real, and that it has to do with that Aviskin thing.”

“King’s Intuition gettin’ to ya?”

Malcolm scoffed and shook his head as he closed the door. “Stupid intuition. I don’t get why only the king gets this crap.”

Jack chuckled. “As the next heir to the throne it’s important to understand and listen to these feelings,” he said sarcastically, mocking their old instructor. 

They both laughed, momentarily forgetting about the fact that they’d just discovered a very real and very frightening prophecy. 

 

Jack found out later, as the sun was setting, that he’d been asleep for sixteen hours and had woken up at noon. Why he failed to realize that sooner he had no idea. He’d just assumed he’d gotten up mid-morning, had a late brunch, and gone on with his research. Jack was sure that he wouldn’t be tired once the sun set and the moon came out.

Yet after a pleasant supper with his family, he was exhausted. Jack said goodnight and excused himself to bed. He hadn’t seen his friends or Sam all day, but he was sure he’d see them tomorrow.

 

The young prince opened the door to his room only to be bombarded by a certain excited fish. Sam gurgled and chirped as he nudged Jack’s chest in greeting.

“Hey buddy,” Jack cooed. “Did ya miss me?”

Sam purred and blinked at him once then wiggled over to the bed. He spun in a circle before settling onto the plush comforter, his tail curling around his body. 

Jack smiled at his companion’s antics and went over to the vanity. His bag was resting on the seat, where Cry had promised to leave it. He picked up the simple brown sack and dug around, searching for his polish kit. His scales were in desperate need of a shine. 

Yet his fingertips brushed across the feather as he prodded around the bag. Jack froze, and he immediately thought back to the discovery he and Malcolm had made. 

_An Aviskin. The drawing looked like something similar to Mark, but what if the text wasn’t in relation to the drawing at all?_

Jack slowly withdrew the feather from the bag, and held it up to the light. It shimmered, and he couldn’t help but gaze at it in awe. The red tip was so mesmerizing to look at, just because the longer he stared, the harder the color was to see. 

The Merrow swam to his bed, feather still in hand, and nestled onto the soft comforter. He laid on his stomach and rested his chin on his arms. The feather he held in front of him and twirled it slowly in his fingers, just staring at it. 

Sam scooted closer and eyed the thing. It was the first time he’d seen it. The little fish gurgled and blinked, then he nudged the feather. Sam suddenly let out a sharp sneeze, bubbles racing upwards. He blinked again and looked at Jack, gurgling quietly.

Jack chuckled and tucked the feather under his pillow. “It’s alright Sam. It’s just a feather, like the seagulls have.”

The little green fish grumbled and made an angry clicking sound. 

“Jeez relax,” Jack smirked. “I didn’t know you hated seagulls that much.”

Sam gurgled and nudged at Jack’s arm. He then nosed his way underneath it and managed to wedge himself underneath Jack’s arm. The little fish wiggled around until he was comfortable, then stilled. A sigh escaped him in a frantic cluster of bubbles. 

Jack chuckled and rolled onto his side, holding Sam close as he moved. He then pulled back the blankets and shimmied his way underneath them. Once he was comfortable on his left side, still avoiding his injured hip, he closed his eyes and hugged Sam close. 

“Get some sleep bud,” Jack murmured to his companion. “I’ll be heading out early again.”

Sam’s only response was a quiet and steady purr. 

Jack let out a breath and relaxed. _I have to find more clues as to what Mark really is. Is he an Aviskin? Or something else? Tomorrow I’ll dig around for more info. Maybe I’ll even get close enough to the shore to see if the humans left anything behind. They should be gone by now._

And with that thought Jack let sleep claim him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE thank you to Unearthed-Kitty on DeviantArt for practically doing the Irish version of the prophecy for me! There's no way I would have been able to do it myself. Go give her some love, she has a bomb-ass Septiplier story in the works :3


	13. A New Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There’s… There’s a diviner. He lives nearby.”
> 
> Jack blinked. “What?”
> 
> Mark winced as he pushed himself upright with his left hand, leaving a smear of blood on the rocks. 
> 
> “H-He lives under the island. You can swim there. He knows h-how to help me. F-Find him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so fucking sorry you guys. A whole summer without one update? What kind of person am I? A terrible one. No one can change my opinion on that. I'm a garbage person (heh, reference) and I shouldn't have done that to you guys. I consider writing and posting fanfiction right now as a sort of job (even though I don't get paid for it, ha), and by my standards I was fired at the beginning of June. So! I'm going to reapply myself to this, and get back into the swing of things. I hope you guys can forgive me. Feel free to bring out the pitchforks, I deserve it. 
> 
> *opens arms and awaits the glorious death by pitchforks*

Jack rose before the dawn, as he usually did. He was careful not to wake Sam as he got out of bed, and silently gathered up his bag. The young prince gingerly took the feather from under his pillow, and stuffed it in his bag. There was really no reason for him to bring it, but part of him just wanted to keep the keepsake with him at all times. In a way it felt like a lucky trinket. His life seemed to be a tad bit hectic ever since he found it, and to be honest, it had been exhilarating. A nice change in the daily routine he’d become bored of.

The Merrow snuck from his room and out into the open water above the town. Most of the people were still asleep, and there was a certain stillness to the water. Jack swam quickly away from his home and hurried off into the lightening dark.

 

The first thing Jack saw when he hoisted himself onto “his” rock was the humans’ boats still on the shore. They were all still resting on the sand, and not a human was in sight. The boats didn’t seemed to be disturbed at all from when he last saw them. He stared in confusion as he mindlessly set his bag next to him.

“They’re still here. But why?” Jack murmured to himself as he studied the vacant beach. 

_That’s odd. They’ve never stayed longer than a day before. But now they’ve been here almost two days._ He squinted as he tried to pick up any clues that might let him know what was going on. _Perhaps that attack the day before prompted them to stay. Maybe they want to find out what it was?_

Then another, more frightening, thought occurred to him. _What if they’re after me? They did try to catch me… What if that’s what they’re staying for?_

Jack shuddered and brushed off the thought. He didn’t want to think about that now. What he really came up here for, was answers. Answers to the mystery that was Mark, and the thing that saved him, if they were two different beings. If Mark was really an Aviskin, and he wasn’t the one that rescued him from the humans, then what the hell did?

He recalled the eyes he saw just before he blacked out after the boat “exploded”. They had been pupiless, rather large, and a stunning amber color. Mark’s had been that same color of amber, but they were normal eyes.

Jack shook his head and blinked rapidly. All the questions and thoughts running through his head was giving him a headache. He sighed and rubbed at his temples.

_Perhaps I should have just stayed home. I’m not getting anywhere by just staying here. I either need to go back to that cave place or just go home. I can’t stay here, not after what happened._

Suddenly, there was a whisper of fluttering wings. Jack looked quickly to his right, and was stunned to see a familiar little owl.

He stared at the bird as he flew towards him. _What on earth…?_

 

The owl then let out a sharp cry, and even though Jack didn’t understand bird language, he caught the desperate tone that the owl gave off.

“H-Hey little guy what’s wrong?” Jack asked the owl as it flew right up to him. He hesitantly cupped his hands together, and the owl immediately perched in his palm. It blinked its big blue eyes and stared at him intently.

_Tootootoo!_ The owl fluttered its wings and hopped a little, as if in a hurry. Jack blinked and stared down at it.

“Is something wrong? Do you need help?”

The owl chittered and clicked its beak before taking flight again. It flew a good five feet away then stopped and looked back.

_Too! Tootootoo!_

Jack bit his lip. “You want me to follow you, don’tcha?”

The owl chittered again, and Jack sighed. I must be losing my mind.

“Alright, I’m coming.”

With a sharp _too_ the owl took off, flying at an angle towards the north. Startled by the owl’s abrupt departure, Jack snatched his bag, dove into the water, and darted after the bird. The Merrow moved his powerful tail up and down, and he felt the dull bite of his wound. It wouldn’t slow him down, but it was irritating. He stayed close to the surface so that he could easily glance up and see where the owl was headed.

 

Jack was completely surprised when he realized that the owl was leading him in the direction of the cavern he woke up in the day before. The Merrow felt the change in the water, and noticed how the vegetation started to decrease and more rocks became visible. The water became warmer, and carried a sharp, tangy taste.

When the owl started flying west, Jack’s stomach flipped. The owl was taking him back to the cavern. And then when Jack saw the same rocky bottom that he saw when he left the cave, he came to an abrupt halt.

The Merrow darted to the surface and watched as the owl soared into the cave. He could hear its frantic chittering from within.

 

Jack slowly swam closer, gripping the strap of his bag tightly. He got as close as he could without touching any part of the cave and peered inside.

The owl was fluttering around something at the back of the cave. The little bird was flying back and forth, getting itself all worked up. The thing it was fussing over was breathing heavily. Jack could see its form rising and falling with each breath, and he could hear its every inhale and exhale.

With the sun still young and just barely over the horizon, there wasn’t enough light to see what the thing was. Jack could only guess that this being, whatever it was, was pretty big.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and licked his lips. “H-Hello?”

 

The thing flinched, and suddenly growled aggressively. The sound was loud, and bounced off the walls of the cavern. Jack jumped and sank up to his nose in the water.

At that the owl was not happy. It clicked its beak several times and fluttered around what Jack assumed was the head of the thing. The owl then landed on it, and began pecking at it.

 

Jack watched in horror as the creature growled again. He fully expected the cute little bird to be snatched up and eaten whole, or squished flat by some giant, clawed foot. Yet the owl just kept pecking away.

Finally the creature stopped growling, and Jack heard an audible and heavy sigh. The owl squeaked in approval and took flight again.

The creature suddenly shifted, and started to move. Jack shrank back and waited.

Part of him wanted to bolt. Some of his instincts were telling him to flee, to get the hell out of there. Yet part of him, the part that won, told him to stay and investigate.

Jack watched as the creature struggled to sit up. It appeared to be human-like. The Merrow took in a sharp breath when the thing’s back shifted, and he saw the definite shape of wings.

With a trembling voice, Jack called out again. “Uh h-hello?”

The creature snorted and whipped its head towards him. Jack’s breath caught in his throat.

 

Even in the dim light he could clearly see the brilliant amber eyes glaring at him from within the cave.

Jack blinked and slowly pulled himself further out of the water as realization sank in.

“Mark? Is that you?”

Those eyes blinked, and then an irritated growl echoed throughout the cave.

“Go away,” he snarled. The voice, while a bit rough and growly, was definitely that of the winged man.

Jack’s heart jumped and he perked up. “It _is_ you! Your name is Mark, right?”

Again Mark growled. “What’s it to you? Scram fish boy.”

The Merrow scoffed. “Really? Fish boy?”

Mark ignored his comment, and instead snarled. His eyes flashed, and Jack could see the glint of his fangs in the pale morning light. A small shiver went down the Merrow’s spine at the sight and the memory it brought back.

Suddenly the little owl zipped in front of Mark and started to angrily twitter in his face. Mark huffed in annoyance and went to swat the bird aside, but it easily dodged and went right back to bugging him.

Mark growled and tried to catch the owl using only his left hand. The other he kept tucked close to his stomach. “Tim I swear to god if you don’t knock it off…”

The owl clicked its beak a few times before flying above Mark’s head and pulling at his hair with its taloned feet. Mark yelped and reached up to try and swat the bird away. Again the owl dodged and zipped about his head.

Jack watched with a surprised look on his face. Mark was angry, anybody could see that, yet he was being incredibly gentle. And he called the owl Tim…

“Um, e-excuse me?”

Mark turned his head to look at Jack, his face set in a mask of concentration. The owl paused in its taunting to hover a few feet above Mark’s head.

Jack cleared his throat and pointed at the owl. “Is he yours?”

With a snort Mark looked up at the owl. “Did y’hear that Tim? Fish boy wants to know if you're mine.” He jabbed a thumb towards said fish boy.

Tim chittered and quickly fluttered down to rest on Mark’s head. He pecked at the man’s forehead twice before settling into the mess of black hair. Mark winced and glared up at him, but otherwise left him alone.

Jack huffed at Mark’s words. “That doesn’t answer my question,” he muttered. Although he had a pretty good idea that Tim was indeed Mark’s companion.

Mark smirked and shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. “Yes, Tim’s mine.”

Tim pecked him again a few more times, and Mark flinched. “Ow! Alright, alright! He’s my friend,” Mark grumbled while glaring at the bird and rubbing his stinging head. Tim clicked his beak and puffed his chest out proudly, his blue eyes glittering. 

Jack couldn't help but giggle. “He's pretty aggressive, isn't he?”

Mark smirked. “Yeah, he's pretty demanding.”

Tim twittered and deflated a little, becoming a sad lil’ owl. It was a rather adorable sight.

The Merrow chuckled and scooted further up into the cave, yet he made sure to keep his tail somewhat in the water still.

“So, was he a gift or something?”

Mark raised a brow at Jack's question.

“Why would he be a gift?”

“Well my companion was a gift, from my parents when I was born.”

Again the winged man lifted an eyebrow.

“Spoiled much?”

Jack blinked, a little taken back. Spoiled? Him? He was a prince, but was he really spoiled?

“I… I don't think so. I mean, royalty does get more than the average person, but I don't think I'd say spoiled…”

Mark seemed to perk up at the word “royalty”. His eyes widened and faded back to their original color. Their amber light died, and that deep brown returned. He shuffled a bit closer to the Merrow, his curiosity peaked. Tim chirred and flew from Mark’s head, exiting the cave.

“You're royalty, huh? That's pretty cool.”

Jack flushed a little from embarrassment. “It's nothing really,” he said while casting his eyes to the stone floor where he fiddled with a small pebble. “We Merrows don't really have a lot in gold, but we have a strong bloodline and many loyal followers so-”

He was cut off by a hand tilting his chin up. Jack blinked as he suddenly found himself staring right into Mark's eyes.

His breath caught in his throat as he stared, completely speechless.

 

Mark seemed to be studying him, for his brow was furrowed and he scanned Jack's face with his eyes several times. Jack could do nothing except sit there, completely stunned.

He was trapped in that deep, dark gaze. It was impossible to look away. A thousand different scenarios of what could happen flew through his head, some of them rather pleasant and interesting, others frightening.

Jack tried to keep his breath steady as Mark twisted his mouth into a thoughtful frown.

“You don't necessarily look like royalty.”

The Merrow blinked. “What?”

Mark clicked his tongue and tilted Jack's head to the side. “You're cute and all, but you don't really look like a beautiful prince or whatever.”

Jack was stunned. _I… I don’t look like royalty? That's a bit absurd._

He cleared his throat and tried to pull his chin away from Mark's hand.

“Well among my people I can be picked out from a crowd-”

Mark's grip tightened on his chin, to the point where it was almost painful. Jack visibly winced and went quiet.

“I'm not your people. And you don't look like royalty to me.”

He released the Merrow’s chin and took a staggering step back.

 

Jack froze.

 

With Mark so close to him now, he could clearly see that the winged man was bleeding. Quite badly too.

The Merrow straightened and met Mark's cold gaze with a worried look.

“Are you hurt?”

Mark scoffed and took another step back.

“No,” he snapped, but Jack could see right through that. Mark was clearly wounded. The Merrow set his jaw and squared his shoulders. 

“Yes you are. I’m not blind or stupid.”

His words were met with a growl. Mark’s brown eyes suddenly flashed gold, and his wings stretched open just enough to make the man look more like a menacing monster. He bared his fangs as he glared at the Merrow.

“Go away,” Mark snarled. “I don’t need your help.”

Jack swallowed and looked Mark in the eye. “Yes you do. Please, let me help you,” Jack pleaded. He made sure to put plenty of emotion in his voice. “Don’t push me away. I can help you.”

Mark’s snarl faltered, and his growling ceased. He took another step back.

“No one can help me,” Mark muttered quietly.

Suddenly he grimaced, and his left arm wrapped tightly around his middle. Jack watched in horror as a gush of blood instantly coated Mark's fingers.

The Merrow desperately crawled forward, his tail slipping from the water and onto the rocks. The world around him seemed to blur as Mark grunted and fell to one knee, his eyes screwed shut and teeth gritted. His giant wings drooped a little, as if they were too heavy to keep upright.

Jack scrambled as fast as he could over to him, his heart pounding in his chest.

 

For some reason he was absolutely terrified. Just the thought of Mark dying on him scared the hell out of him. It set his guts in a wild spin, and his heart thumping painfully against his ribs. And he had no idea why.

 

Just before Jack reached his side, Mark slumped over onto the ground, landing on left side. His breathing was ragged, and he had suddenly broke out into a heavy sweat. Those black wings went limp, laying at awkward angles behind him.

 

With a final burst of effort, Jack hauled himself right to Mark’s side. He tucked his tail underneath him, sitting in a sort of kneeling position. His left hand immediately found Mark’s shoulder, and the Merrow shook him slightly.

“Hey, hey stay with me with me now. What happened, where are you hurt?”

The Merrow tried to recall the first-response lesson Signe had given him a few months ago. It had been about trying to get a wounded person to talk to you and whatnot.

Yet Mark only groaned in pain and gritted his teeth.

Jack bit his lip and looked to Mark’s torso. It seemed that the most blood was coming from where his left hand was. Being as gentle as possible, Jack pried Mark’s hand away.

The horror that was Mark’s side made Jack gasp and cover his mouth with his free hand.

 

There was a large, messy hole in Mark’s side, just under his ribs. It was gaping and raw, with blood oozing profusely from it. From what Jack could tell, it looked like something had bore into his flesh. Perhaps a spear?

Jack reached to touch it, hesitated, then gingerly rested his hand on the feverish skin next to the wound.

“Ack!” Mark flinched and curled into a ball, his left hand frantically covering the wound again. Jack barely had time to pull his hand away.

But that wasn’t the only wound. Jack could see another wound on Mark’s upper right arm. It wasn’t nearly as bad, but still bleeding insistently. The wound was more of a scratch, albeit a deep scratch, but a scratch all the same. Jack peered at it for a few moments, his brain trying to desperately come up with something that he could do to help.

He got nothing.

_I have nothing to stop the bleeding with,_ the Merrow thought. _And I have no idea what caused these injuries. There’s literally nothing I can do to prevent him from dying…_

Jack bit his lip and sat back. He glanced at Mark’s face, which was set in a grimace of pain and glistening with sweat.

_But I have to help him._

Making a quick decision, Jack rested a hand on Mark’s shoulder again and leaned close to the man’s ear.

“Just hang on, alright?” Jack murmured gently. “I’ll be back with help. Just please don’t die.”

Mark didn’t respond. He only groaned and curled into an even tighter ball, his entire body trembling.

 

Jack hesitantly turned towards the entrance of the cave, regretting his decision. But else could he do? Sit here and watch Mark die?

_Not gonna happen._

The Merrow quickly made his way across the rocky cavern floor, his eyes focused on the water beyond. He would get help, and he would help Mark, not matter what it took.

But another thought stopped him in his tracks.

_Who’s gonna help me? Signe or Marzia? Not a chance. They’d never come up to the surface, much less the other side of the island!_

Jack bit his lip, dread starting to sink its fangs into his stomach. _What am I going to do?_

“H-Hey…”

The Merrow jumped as the gravely voice behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, wide-eyed, at Mark, who had lifted his head to glare at Jack weakly.

“There’s… There’s a diviner. He lives nearby.”

Jack blinked. “What?”

Mark winced as he pushed himself upright with his left hand, leaving a smear of blood on the rocks.

“H-He lives under the island. You can swim there. He knows h-how to help me. F-Find him.” Mark grunted as he dragged himself over to the wall, leaning heavily against it and panting. A trail of blood ran from his side and onto the floor, where it continued to flow slowly down the slight slope towards the entrance.

The Merrow turned towards him and raised his brow in surprise. “How do I find him?”

“L-Look for the eye clusters. They’ll lead y-you to him.”

Jack nodded slowly, still not sure exactly sure what that meant. “W-What should I tell him?”

Instead of answering, Mark suddenly squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth.

“Ggck!”

His body convulsed as another wave of pain washed over him. Jack sat there, frozen in terror as he witnessed such a sight. Mark cracked open an eye, saw the Merrow still sitting there, and slammed his fist on the floor. It surprisingly made the ground shudder, and Jack jumped.

_“GO!”_ Mark bellowed, his booming voice bouncing off the cavern walls.

Jack squeaked and bolted from the cave, awkwardly bailing into the water with an uneven _splash!_ He didn’t even give himself time to get re-centered before zipping away, straight out into open and unfamiliar water. Fear was his fuel, and he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

He never looked back, not even once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little crumby, I know. Not the greatest chapter to come back with, but it's better than nothing. But heads up, because the next chapter is full of surprises! New characters, more legends, and another adorable creature.
> 
> ~Cal


	14. Sea Cave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Child of the Water. Why have you come?”
> 
> Jack blinked, shaking himself from his frozen state. His answer came as an instinct.
> 
> “I-It’s my friend. He’s in trouble.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a loooong one, so hold on to your asses.

It only took a few hundred yards for Jack to get his wits about him.

He forced himself to slow to a stop, his tail twitching nervously. The Merrow was breathing hard, and he swallowed to try and calm his breathing. Of course, that did nothing. 

Jack looked back in the direction he’d come, his chest still slightly heaving. He was just barely able to see the rocky incline that was the start of the cavern through the murky water. 

Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Jack looked down at his tail. It was quivering, no doubt charged with adrenaline and ready to bolt him out of harm’s way. The ache in his hip was absent, but there was no doubt in his mind that it would return. 

_That… That was terrifying._

Of course nothing would ever come close to when he first met Mark, and how he was sure that Mark was going to kill him. But still. Mark was _injured_ , quite badly too, yet he was able to put the fear of the raging sea into Jack’s heart. 

The Merrow let his mind wander to the moment when the ground had trembled when Mark simply hit it with his fist. 

_What else can he do? Just how powerful is he? What is he?_

Before Jack could dwell on the mysterious events any further, he heard a loud and familiar gurgling. Extremely confused and still a bit on edge, he whirled to the left.

 

Bolting towards him was Sam. 

 

Jack only had time to drop his jaw in shock before Sam plowed into him. The little green fish slammed into his chest, sending them both reeling through the water. Stunned, Jack let himself float on his back, groaning as Sam gurgled and nuzzled the Merrow’s chin lovingly.

Once Jack’s sense of balance returned, he righted himself and held Sam out in front of him. He raised a brow as the fish wiggled happily.

“What the actual fuck are you doing out here, and how the hell did you find me?”

Sam started to purr and wriggled from Jack’s grasp. He immediately buried himself under the Merrow’s arm, where he snuggled close and gurgled. The fish blinked a few times while staring up at his companion. 

Jack just stared at him in disbelief. “So, you’re telling me you just wanted to come up here and explore?”

Sam made a few clicking noises. 

“Oh right, like I’m supposed to believe that. You just got hungry, didn’t you?” Jack shook his head and shifted his arms so they wrapped around Sam protectively.  
The little fish huffed, a cluster of frantic bubbles escaping to the surface. 

“Well you’re out of luck then. There’s hardly any little fish here. Plus they’re all way faster than you.”

Sam grumbled and wrapped his tail around Jack’s left thumb. Jack couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“Well, I’m proud of you buddy.” Sam blinked and gazed up at him. “You got out of your comfort zone, like, _way_ out. And I’m proud of you for that.”

The little fish started to wiggle as he tightened his grip on Jack’s thumb. Sam made a series of clicks and gurgles, completely beside himself with joy. Jack laughed at the display and hugged the fish tightly. 

“Love ya buddy.”

Sam purred.

 

For the next few minutes, the duo darted around the area, searching for a quick source of breakfast for Jack’s green friend. They managed to round up a few tiny fish that Sam immediately gulped down. Once Sam’s hunger was partially sated (Jack was sure the little fish could eat a whole damn whale if he wanted too), Jack refocused on the whole reason he was there.

Mark.

The Merrow had to find these… eye clusters, which would lead him to some diviner that lives under the island, who could supposedly help Mark. 

It all sounded really weird. 

But if it was the only way he could save Mark, then so be it. He wasn't sure why he was so eager to help this man he'd only just met, but he felt comfortable with it and decided not to question his feelings too much. The Merrow was excited to see where this path would take him, and after a life of such boredom and one too many restrictions, he was ready for something different.

And to him, Mark seemed to hold the key.

 

Jack looked around as Sam swam lazily about. The Merrow tried to see if there was anything that resembled a cluster of eyes anywhere. Yet he saw nothing.  
He let out a frustrated breath and gently grabbed Sam's tail, pulling him towards him.

“Okay, business time,” Jack said seriously. Sam huffed and righted himself, saluting Jack with his tail. The Merrow laughed and shook his head.

“Alright soldier,” Jack ordered jokingly. “We need to find something that looks like a cluster of eyes. Anything, plants, fish, rocks, anything that looks like eyes. Understood?”

Sam clicked sharply and zipped off, scouring the ocean floor. Jack did the same, his relaxed smile turning into a serious frown.

 

They searched for a few good minutes without finding anything. Jack was getting frustrated. He turned over a large rock, just looking for any sort of hint. He wasn’t expecting the school of fish that burst out at him. 

Jack yelped in surprise and darted backwards. The fish, obviously panicked, shot through the water, heading straight for the island. Sam didn’t hesitate to launch himself amongst the fish, snatching up one. Yet he didn’t eat it. 

He clicked frantically and shot over to Jack. Sam presented the fish in his mouth to the Merrow, and Jack’s stomach flipped.

The fish Sam held was a shimmery black thing, with several circles of color on each side. They looked like eyes. 

Jack quickly looked at the escaping school of fish. As they weaved through the water, Jack couldn’t help but think they looked like a bunch of eyes peering out at him.

 _A cluster of eyes._

“C’mon Sam! Follow them!”

Jack took off after the fish, his heart racing.

Sam practically inhaled the fish still in his mouth and zipped after the Merrow.

 

The school of fish was fast. Jack had a little bit of trouble keeping up, and Sam most certainly did too. Jack forced himself to stop and wait for Sam to catch, and once he did, the Merrow snatched the fish into his arms and sped off, his eyes glued to the strange creatures ahead of him. It didn’t take a whole lot of thinking to see that the fish were headed for the island. They stayed close to the sandy floor, constantly dodging rocks and other, much slower fish. 

Jack followed their every move, swimming as fast as he could. He could see now that no two fish were the same. They were all black of course, but each of their “eyes” were different colors. One fish had a ring of blue within a ring of yellow. Another had a large green ring surrounding a smaller blue ring. Each fish was completely different, with colors of all kinds making up their “eyes”. They were quite beautiful. 

As Jack was admiring them, they suddenly dove straight into the ground, and disappeared. 

The Merrow’s stomach tightened. “Where’d they go?”

Sam gurgled in Jack’s arms. 

The duo swam to the spot where the fish disappeared. It was just a giant rock, in a little area of its own. There was no hole, no swirling portal like Jack had imagined. Just a rock. 

Jack scratched his head as Sam slipped from his arms. “Where the hell did they go? They couldn’t have just evaporated into thin air.”

He studied the rock itself, trying to see if there was some sort of secret entrance or something. Sam nosed the ground around said rock, tiny clouds of sand bursting in front of him. 

The little fish suddenly paused. He wiggled closer to the rock, burying his tiny snout in the sand just under the large stone. After another moment’s pause, Sam abruptly sneezed, the force of it shooting the little fish backwards. Jack jumped, completely caught off guard, and whirled towards his companion. As he did, his tail smacked against the rock. 

“Gah!” 

Jack immediately grabbed at his tail, curling into a ball as he rubbed at the sore spot. He hissed in pain through his teeth, cracking open an eye to glare at the source of his pain.

The rock was now on its side, knocked over from the force of Jack’s tail. 

But where the rock had sat, was a hole. 

Jack’s eyes went wide, and he released his tail, pain forgotten. He darted to the edge of the hole and peered into the darkness within. 

It was hard to see very far down, but he could tell that the hole had been carved out of stone. A peculiar scent drifted up from the opening, and strange noises reached the Merrow’s ears. 

Sam swam over, sniffling and gurgling. He stared into the hole, blinked a few times, and backed away quickly. Jack glanced at him and raised a brow.

“Something wrong bud?”

The little fish shook his whole body back and forth, clicking frantically. Jack scoffed and looked back down the hole. 

“C’mon Sam, this has to be where those fish went. We _have_ to follow them!”

Sam squeaked, staring at Jack in shock. 

“Please bud? If those fish are brave enough to go down there, surely you are too?”

With a defeated sigh, Sam swam over to Jack’s side and nudged the Merrow’s arm. Jack grinned and enveloped him in a hug. 

“You’re the best! Think you can turn on that glow of yours?”

Again Sam sighed. Jack could just barely hear a few sassy grumbles come from the irritated fish. Sam swam over to the edge of the hole and dropped into it a few inches. After a few moments, the little fish began to glow a fluorescent green. The glow grew stronger and stronger, until it lit up a good portion of the hole. Jack slipped into the opening head-first, pulling Sam to his chest as he didn’t hesitate to swim deeper. Sam gurgled and wrapped his tail around Jack’s thumb in a vice-like grip.

The hole was just big enough for Jack to fit in and still have enough room to move his tail. Yet there was no way he could turn around. He took a deep breath as they dove deeper under the sand, and the light of the entrance turned into a tiny pinprick behind them. There was no going back. 

 

It felt like they had been traveling for hours, but it had only been a few minutes. The glow Sam gave off was more than enough to light their way, and for the longest time they kept diving downwards. Yet the tunnel started to slope just a bit, and before Jack knew it, they were traveling horizontally. The tunnel also grew just a bit wider. 

There were plants now too. Different types of seaweed grew on the rocky floor, and a few fans and coral bunches could be seen. They were small, and not very colorful, but they were still there.

Jack looked around in slight awe, surprised that there was actually life down here. Sam gurgled, his glow beginning to pulse ever-so-slightly as his energy began to drain. The Merrow glanced down at his companion and picked up the pace. 

“Just a little longer bud. Hold on a bit longer.”

But how much longer? How far did they still have to go? How much of that was going to be in this tunnel?

Yet after a few more minutes, the tunnel slowly began to slope upward. Soon enough it was a strictly vertical climb. And just ahead was a pinprick of pale blue light.  
Jack’s stomach flipped in excitement, and he picked up the pace. As they got closer to what he assumed was the end, the tunnel began to grow lighter, and Sam let his glow die out. 

The light became brighter and brighter, and Jack was forced his shield his eyes. Pretty soon the light was all he could see. 

Desperate to get out of the blinding glare, Jack put on a final boost of speed and shot into the light. He squeezed his eyes shut, and kept swimming until there was no light pounding against his eyelids. 

He slowed to a stop and opened his eyes. 

 

It seemed that they were now in a small lake or pond. The surface wasn’t far above them, and this particular body of water wasn’t very big at all. 

Jack unconsciously held Sam a little tighter as he slowly swam up towards the surface. He could see that it was fairly dark, and there didn’t seem to be any movement. 

It was also eerily quiet.

The Merrow hesitantly broke through the surface, only letting his nose and above be seen.

They were in a large cavern, completely enclosed with no sign of daylight anywhere. Jack stared in awe as he followed the curve of the high ceiling with wide eyes.

It wasn’t completely dark though. Littered among the walls and even on the ceiling were fairly large blue crystals. They gave off a pale blue glow, and lit the cavern with a mysterious blue light. 

Seeing no other signs of life, Jack emerged from the water even more. He let Sam go, and the little fish quickly darted to his side where he just barely peeked out of the water. 

Jack scanned the edges of the water, looking for a place to perhaps crawl up onto the rocky ground. Yet all the banks were steep, and made entirely of rock. There was no way to crawl up there. 

Stumped, the Merrow slipped back under and looked around. 

“What to do, what to do,” he mumbled to himself as he silently pondered his options. 

Sam gurgled and spiraled slowly back to the surface. He poked his head out just a little, observing the area.

Jack gripped his chin as he started to panic. _If I don’t hurry, Mark might die. Yet I have no idea what to do. Those fish are nowhere to be seen, and there’s no other sign of life. Did he send me on a wild goose chase just so I would leave him alone?_

 

Just as he was starting to doubt himself and Mark, Sam suddenly squealed and bolted back towards him. Startled, Jack snatched the terrified fish to his chest and froze. Was something up there? Did Sam see something? Did something see Sam?

The Merrow hesitantly swam up, Sam trembling in his arms. He stayed just below the surface so he could see what was going on directly above him.

There was something up there. It was zipping around in the air, quick and smooth. It was just flying about above them, not causing any trouble.

Curiosity got the better of him, and Jack poked his head out of the water. Sam panicked and struggled, escaping from Jack’s grasp. The Merrow didn’t blame him for being terrified.

As soon as Jack’s head broke through the surface, he could immediately hear the flutter of wings, and something squeaking shrilly. He tilted his head, extremely confused. No bird he had ever heard or read about sounded like that. 

“Um, hello?”

Something shrieked, and Jack caught sight of something rather small and black hovering high above him. The thing shrieked again, and Jack couldn’t help but chuckle. 

Whatever this thing was, it had to be adorable. In Jack’s book, if it was somewhat small and squeaked, it was adorable. 

 

As Jack was studying the thing above him, he suddenly heard Sam let loose a set of panicked clicks. Immediately worried, Jack ducked back underwater and sought out his companion. 

Not too far away from him, Sam was darting through the water, as if he was being chased. He started to squeal all of the sudden, and then his forward motion was suddenly halted. The fish panicked and wriggled desperately, and then was suddenly yanked back. 

Jack’s heart stopped. 

He immediately bolted towards his companion, his blood going cold. 

_Something has him. Something’s got ahold of him. **Something’s going to eat him.**_

The Merrow watched in horror as a struggling Sam was slowly yanked backwards. Jack was almost to him, and he stretched out his hand. 

“Hold on Sam! I’ve gotcha!”

Yet just as he was about to grab his companion, Sam was suddenly jerked away, and whatever had him took off, dragging the fish through the water at an incredible speed. 

“Sam!”

The fish squealed and struggled, but the grip of his captor was too strong. Jack darted after them, trying to desperately catch up. 

But whatever had snatched Sam was incredibly fast.

With the poor lighting from the cavern, the water was dark, and Jack couldn’t see what had his companion. It couldn’t be too terribly big though, since it had a bit of trouble dragging Sam away at first. 

As Jack tried desperately to catch them, they suddenly disappeared, both Sam and his captor.

“No!” Jack cried, not slowing down in the slightest. If anything, he sped up. 

Just as he reached the spot where Sam disappeared, he suddenly came face-to-face with a wall. Jack grimaced and darted to the side at the last second. He made a tight circle and came to a stop, glaring at the wall. It was the side of the lake, and with it being so dark, Jack could barely see it through the murk.

“Damn it!” The Merrow lashed out in anger and slammed his fist into the rock. He immediately regretted it. 

“Ggh…!” Jack withdrew his hand and clutched it against his chest. While it throbbed, he glanced down at it. The flesh of his knuckles had split and blood swelled from the wound. There were a few scratches that weren’t bleeding, and he knew his hand would probably bruise within the next few minutes. 

Grimacing, Jack looked back to the wall.

Just as he did, a part of the wall suddenly started glowing dimly. Jack blinked and studied the glowing portion. 

There was a hole there. 

It seemed to be a tunnel, just big enough for him to maybe squeeze through. A soft yellow glow was coming from whatever was on the other end. 

_So this must be where Sam went._

As that thought passed through his mind, the Merrow immediately slipped into the tunnel. 

 

It was a tight fit. A _really_ tight fit. Jack almost couldn’t get his hips through. Yet he wiggled and kicked and clawed, and he managed to get the majority of his tail into the tunnel. But even so, his spear wound was constantly pressed against the rocky wall. As the Merrow wriggled forward, it scraped along the wall, breaking whatever scab was there. Jack could instantly taste the blood in the water. 

He grimaced and paused in his struggling. The wound burned, and he could almost feel his scales peeling away. But it was was too late to turn back. 

_I can’t quit here. I have to save Sam!_

With a grunt, Jack reached forward and dug his fingers into the rocky wall. He gritted his teeth, and with a mighty pull, he yanked himself further into the tunnel. 

The pain was almost unbearable. 

Jack cried out as his wound immediately scraped against the rock, no doubt making it bigger. His cry bounced around the tunnel, making his ears ring. He looked towards the yellow light, and saw that it had grown brighter. Perhaps he was closer than he thought? 

The Merrow grunted once again, and lunged forward. His fin was practically useless and served no purpose in propelling him forward. He couldn’t even move his tail. Again his wound screamed, and Jack gritted his teeth. Once the majority of the pain passed, he let out a breath and looked to the exit. It had gotten considerably closer.

Panting, Jack wiggled forward another inch or so. As he did, something slithered from the yellow light and into the tunnel. Jack paused and stared at the thing, extremely confused. 

It was long and rather thin, only about two inches in diameter. In the dim lighting it appeared to be black, and completely smooth. 

_Kind of looks like a tentacle_ , Jack thought. As he watched the thing creep closer and closer. Just as it was about to brush against his fingertips, it recoiled violently, as if it had been burned. Something on the the other end of the tunnel hissed.

The tentacle suddenly darted forward, slipping past Jack’s head and shoulders in a flash. Before Jack could really register what was happening, the tentacle coiled around his waist. 

Realization struck the Merrow, and he immediately tried to shake the thing off. The thing was cold to the touch, and as it encircled him, it sent chills through his body. Jack tried to brush the thing off on the wall of the tunnel. Yet the tentacle was jerked, and Jack went along with it. With a series of rapid tugs, the tentacle literally started to drag him out of the tunnel. 

Jack screamed, out of both pain and fear. His wound scraped along the wall, causing it to tear and become even bigger. He wrenched his eyes shut, his whole body consumed with pain. 

Then suddenly, it was over. The crushing walls around him were gone, the restricting space no more, and the intense pain in his hip was nonexistent. Startled, Jack snapped open his eyes and looked around. 

The tentacle had pulled him from the tunnel and into some kind of sea cave. Sulfur-yellow walls, made entirely of stalactites that had a melted look to them, curved in an uneven oval around him. Glancing upward, the Merrow could see a high ceiling above him, with more menacing stalactites aimed towards the water below. The walls seemed to give off a warm, yet dull light, almost making it look like it was the middle of the day within the cave. 

Jack spun in a slow circle, admiring the walls around him and looking for the tentacle. It had disappeared.

Suddenly, from above the water, there was a murmur of voices. Jack flinched and immediately froze, not wanting to let the voices’ owners know he was here. The beings, whatever they might be, continued to talk, their tones quiet and calm. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, and just as he was about to sneak closer to the surface to eavesdrop, one voice boomed about the cave, loud and clear. 

“Don’t be shy child, come up here.”

Jack jumped, his heart nearly leaping from his chest. Apparently they already knew he was there. The voice was male, and had a sweet, almost song-like lilt to it.  
Seeing no point in hiding, Jack slowly drifted to the surface, where he allowed only his head and shoulders to emerge.

Just on the edge of the water was a small alcove, with a large patch of dry ground that stretched about 30 feet back until it met with the wall. The ground itself was layered with what appeared to be a blanket of dark green moss, plush and vibrant. And perched just at the edge of the water, staring right at him, was a dragon.

But this dragon was not one that Jack was familiar with. This was not some terrifying, man-eating monster. No, this was a really, really, tiny dragon. No bigger than a seagull. 

It had big, round, cat-like eyes, dark blue in color, that blinked as they stayed focused on Jack. Ebony scales glittered in the dull light, with pale underbelly scales stood out in stark contrast. Two smooth, maroon horns stretched behind the dragon’s elegant head, curving upwards towards the end. A set of ears, almost bovine in shape, flicked on either side of the beast’s head as it studied the Merrow. On each cheek was a set of three, tiny red spikes.

Jack blinked and floated back a few inches. 

“Um, hello there,” he greeted the dragon hesitantly. Surely this adorable creature wasn’t the owner of the voice that summoned him? 

The dragon snorted and whirled around, giving Jack a glimpse of a long, fanned tail and a row of red spikes starting at the back of the dragon’s head and ending at the tip of its tail. He could also see that each of the dragon’s four paws had wicked, curved red talons. The tiny beast darted towards the back of the alcove, where something was hanging from the ceiling. It was rather small, perhaps no bigger than the dragon’s head. 

As the dragon drew closer, the hanging thing shuddered, and suddenly fell. Jack watched as it plummeted to the ground. Yet before it could hit the soft moss, a pair of leathery wings unfurled from the thing’s body. The Merrow blinked in surprise as the small creature zipped up into the air, squeaking and circling the dragon’s proud head. It was moving too fast for him to see what kind of being it was.

Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the water behind him. Startled, Jack whirled around. All he saw was darkness. Just a solid wall of black. Utterly confused, he darted to the side and looked up. What he saw nearly made him flee in terror. 

A column of black smoke towered above him, swirling and spinning. Several tentacles, much like the one that had pulled him from the tunnel, lashed about in the air. And perched on top of the black mass, was the upper half of a man. Or at least it looked like a man.

It had a fairly thin frame, with a decent amount of muscle, not much different from Jack’s own. Yet its face. It had no hair to speak of, not anywhere. And where the eyes should have been, there were none. There was a small bump that could have passed as a nose. But it had a mouth. One without lips. The thing’s teeth were thick and sharp, completely exposed to the outside world.

The Merrow drifted back a few feet, completely shocked. _Is… Is this the diviner?!_

As Jack gaped up at the thing in fear, the being shifted its head to look down at him. It cocked its head, and the thrashing tentacles suddenly calmed down and instead started to wave gently.

Then the being spoke, it’s voice booming and clear, not much different from the one he heard earlier. Yet its mouth did not move.

“Child of the Water. Why have you come?”

Jack blinked, shaking himself from his frozen state. His answer came as an instinct.

“I-It’s my friend. He’s in trouble.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dragons!
> 
> ~Cal


	15. The Diviner, The Dragon, and The Too-Cute-For-This-World Bat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Dim?”
> 
> The diviner motioned towards the dragon as he turned and took another swig from the bottle. “Aye. The dragon’s name is Dim. She’s a familiar.”
> 
> Jack a raised a brow. “Yours?”
> 
> “No. Dis is mine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took _way_ too goddamn long.

The creature cocked its head as if it was studying him. After a few seconds, it sunk into the water, becoming eye-level with the Merrow. 

Jack scrambled back, unsure of what the creature was up to. He didn’t stop until his back hit the edge of the pool, causing him to wince slightly as the rough rock dug into his skin. 

With a slight hiss, the tentacles of the creature seemed to melt into its body, and soon it was just the torso that could be seen above the water. It made a humming noise, then started to speak again, its horrific mouth never moving. 

“Your friend. Is he like you?”

Jack hesitated, then shook his head slightly. 

“N-No, he’s, uh, he’s...,” The Merrow shrugged slightly, his eyes never leaving the thing before him. “Actually I’m not sure what he is.”

The creature emitted a clicking noise which made Jack jump. “Does he, perhaps, have wings?”

Jack blinked, slightly stunned that the creature had guessed correctly. “Y-Yes.”

With another hum, the creature suddenly sank below the surface. Startled, Jack darted to the side, not trusting the creature for a second. 

After a few seconds, the water began to bubble. Then it started to roil, turning white and splashing over the edge of the pool. Jack kept himself pressed against the edge of the pool, ready to shoot away if anything attacked him. He barely heard the dragon gurgling over the sound of the raging water. 

And then it was over, just as quickly as it had started. 

_Is… Is it over?_

Nothing happened as the water soothed itself to stillness. As an eerie calm came over the cave, Jack peered over at the dragon. 

Yet standing next to the dragon was a person, who was staring intently at the Merrow.

Jack flinched, his stomach lurching at the sudden appearance of this stranger. A hand flew to his chest in an attempt to calm his racing heart as he quickly averted his gaze, hoping to spare himself some shred of dignity. 

While he glared at the water, he heard the person chuckle. As his face started to turn red, the Merrow turned his attention back to the stranger.

Upon closer inspection, the person turned out to be a guy. He had extremely pale skin, brown hair trimmed tight at the sides and long on the top, and striking blue eyes. The only artifact of clothing he had on was a long black hooded robe, open just enough so that his pale, hairless chest was exposed. 

Embarrassment forgotten, Jack peered at the man’s face. _He looks kind of familiar._

The man stood smirking at him for a moment before he bowed slightly towards the Merrow, one arm folded across his midriff and the other extended from his side.

“Greetings Waterchild. How may I assist you?”

Jack tensed as the man spoke. 

_He sounds exactly like the thing from before._

Extremely cautious, Jack glided a few inches closer and cleared his throat.

“Um, are you…?” He struggled with the right word.

The man raised a brow and grinned. “Am I what?”

“The um, the diviner?” Jack shrugged slightly to show his uncertainty.

With an understanding nod and a slight smirk, the man beckoned Jack closer. “Ah yes, that would be me. Although that is only one of my many names.” He turned away from the Merrow and approached the back wall of the alcove. 

Now strictly curious, Jack swam right to the edge and gripped the rock. He cocked his head and studied the diviner. 

“Was that… Are you the thing from before?”

The man chuckled as he reached into his robe and pulled out a black, bulbous bottle. “You mean the giant, terrifying tentacle beast? Yes, that was me, in my true form.” He pulled off the cork from the bottle with his teeth, a loud pop echoing around the cavern. 

Spitting the cork from his mouth, he watched as the small dragon chittered and chased after it. Once it caught the object it rolled around with it, swatting at it and gurgling. 

The diviner swirled the contents of the bottle as the little black creature that had been flying around landed on his head. It let out a series of squeaks before burying itself in the diviner’s brown hair. With another squeak it wiggled around, then went still, disappearing completely.

The diviner chuckled and took a swig from the bottle. A single drop of liquid escaped his lips and ran down his neck. Just before it disappeared into his clothing, Jack saw that it was bright red in color. 

Once he swallowed, the diviner smacked his lips and motioned towards Jack with the bottle. 

“No need to stay in the water kid. C’mon out.”

Not trusting this diviner just yet, Jack stayed put and crossed his arms. 

“Where’s Sam?”

The diviner raised a brow. “Who?”

Gritting his teeth, Jack glared at him. “The green fish, Sam. I followed him in here.”

For a moment the diviner just stared at him with a blank look, and then a wave of understanding crossed his face. 

“Oh the little curculus piscis! He’s fine, completely out of harm’s way.”

“That’s not what I asked,” Jack growled. “Where is he?”

Rolling his eyes the diviner turned his back to the Merrow and reached up to scratch the creature nestled in his hair. 

“He’s out in the open ocean, at the entrance I believe. I sent Dim out to let him go.”

“Dim?”

The diviner motioned towards the dragon as he turned and took another swig from the bottle. “Aye. The dragon’s name is Dim. She’s a familiar.”

Jack a raised a brow. “Yours?”

“No. Dis is mine.” With a smile, he reached up and gingerly grabbed the creature from his hair. Opening his hand, he presented the thing to Jack. 

Jack’s heart almost melted. 

It was a tiny little bat, with fleshy pink ears much bigger than it’s own body. Big, round black eyes peered at Jack, blinking once before it cocked its round head. Its fur was a greyish-brown, and its wings black. Chittering quietly, it crawled forward on its wingtips, its tiny pink nose wiggling. 

Still gazing at the bat with gleaming eyes, Jack reached to scratch its head with the tip of his finger.

“He’s… He’s really adorable,” the Merrow admitted, lost in the cuteness.

The diviner chuckled and watched the little bat lean into Jack’s touch with a squeak. 

“Dis has always been adorable. And incredibly friendly. But he’s almost _too_ friendly.” Withdrawing the bat to his chest, the diviner glanced at Dim, who was clinging to her cork aggressively. “Dim has tried to roast him on several occasions after he’s been too cuddly.” 

Jack gave a small smile as he thought of Sam. _God, he must be so scared. I feel terrible. I’ll really have to make it up to him when I get out of here…_

While Jack lost himself in his thoughts, the diviner placed the little bat Dis back on his head. Dis immediately burrowed into the brown nest of hair and hid once again.

“So,” the diviner started, jolting Jack from his thoughts of Sam. “Come out of the water and we can talk some more.”

Jack furrowed his brow and inched away, immediately cautious again. _How does he expect me to do that?_

“U-Um, how?”

The diviner scoffed and took another drink from that black bottle still in his hand. 

“You clamber out and shift, ya dummy. It’s not that hard.”

“What?”

_Shifting? What’s he talking about? Merrows don’t shift._

Letting out an irritated sigh the diviner set his bottle down and held out his hand to the Merrow. 

“Here, I’ll help ya out.”

Jack gave him a wary glare, glanced at his outstretched hand, then looked back up at him.

“Look I know how cautious you Merrows are. Always afraid you’ll be lured up onto shore and be trapped for your tails. But you can trust me.”

Not letting the wary look on his face lessen, Jack shifted uncomfortably in the water.

“But… I don't have legs or anything.”

The diviner rolled his eyes and motioned for Jack to grab his hand. 

“Just trust me. You'll see in a second.”

Jack stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to do. Was this guy lying? What if it was just a ruse in order to get him on land, where he was vulnerable, just like he said? 

He couldn't trust him. No way. It was definitely some sort of trap.

But there was Mark. 

He was dying. If he wasn't dead already. And he needed this diviner’s help. 

It didn’t seem like Jack had much of a choice. 

Reluctantly, he reached up and gingerly placed his hand in the diviner’s. With a small grin, the diviner immediately pulled Jack from the water. 

Startled by such a sudden action, Jack struggled to help haul himself out, using his free hand to grapple at the moss-covered floor. 

With a grunt, the diviner grabbed Jack’s arm with his other hand and pulled with all his might. Jack yelped as he was practically yanked from the water. 

Yet even after the Merrow was almost completely free of the water, he kept pulling, dragging Jack away from the water’s edge. 

Instinct kicked in, and Jack thrashed about violently, much like a fish out of water should. He struggled, wanting to suddenly get away from this person who was taking him away from familiar territory. 

When he was about a foot or so away from the water the diviner let him go, dropping Jack’s arm and stumbling back. 

Jack collapsed onto the surprisingly soft moss, panting and lying on his stomach. Letting out a soft grunt, he rolled over onto his back and sat up. Not trusting the diviner in the slightest, he spun around to face him, tucking his tail in close and using one hand to support him. With the other he held onto his tail, afraid the diviner might try to grab or kick it. Keeping his eyes on him, Jack glared at the diviner. 

For a moment, neither of them spoke. They stared at each other. 

Then the diviner furrowed his brow and folded his arms. “Why aren’t you shifting?”

Jack’s glare hardened, and he tightened his grip on his tail. “I can’t _shift_ ,” he spat. “Merrows _don’t_ shift, we never have.”

The diviner’s eyebrows shot up, and his eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

A glare was the only answer he got. 

Chewing on his bottom lip, the diviner tapped his chin in thought. “That’s interesting,” he murmured as he studied the Merrow before him. “So you Merrows don’t shift anymore?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “We _never have_.”

The diviner gave a curt nod before grinning. “They must have erased the gene.” He suddenly smacked a fist into his open palm, making Jack jump. “Those bastards! They didn’t listen to me,” the diviner cried almost joyfully. “They did away with it and now this is happening! Oh the irony!”

Unsure of what to do, Jack sat there, confused and wary. Perhaps this guy was crazy?

The diviner cackled to himself as he clapped his hands repeatedly, fast and hard. At such a loud and obnoxious noise Dim jumped and hissed at the diviner, her blue eyes flashing red for a brief moment. Immediately quieting down, the diviner gave her an apologetic look. 

With a growl, the dragon grabbed her cork toy in her jaws and slinked to the water’s edge, where she paused, glared at the diviner, and slipped silently into the water where she disappeared from view. 

“Dragons,” the diviner muttered. “Such sensitive ears and personalities.”

Turning to Jack, the diviner rested his hands on his waist. “Well, since you can’t shift, I guess I’ll have to turn you.”

Jack stiffened, ready to bolt back into the water. “Turn me?”

“Yes. In order to help your friend, an obvious land and air dweller, you must become such yourself.”

The Merrow blinked. “So… does that mean you’ll turn me into whatever Mark is?”

With a grin, the diviner shook his head slightly. “No, I won’t turn you into one of his kind. But something that can easily travel with him, take care of him, look out for him.”

Jack dropped his gaze to the mossy floor as he let that information roll around in his head. 

_Something that can take care of him. That’s what I want to do, is help him. And if it’s only temporary, then maybe it’ll be alright… I just, I don’t want Mark to die. And if this is the only way…_

He looked back up at the diviner. His face was set, eyes hard. 

“Alright,” the Merrow uttered. “Do it.”

A smile grew on the diviner’s face that was almost the size of his head. “Excellent!” Reaching into his robe, he pulled out a red bottle similar to the black one still at his feet. Jack could see dark liquid sloshing around inside as the diviner handed him the bottle. 

Gingerly taking the bottle, Jack glanced at the diviner’s face. Was he smirking? Like some demon luring someone into a trap? 

No, no it must be his imagination.

The diviner reached down for his own black bottle and raised it in a toast.

“Drink up my friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dim and Dis are my children, and I must protect them at all costs. (TT^TT)


	16. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a brilliant flash of green, Jack’s eyes suddenly slipped shut, and he was swallowed by darkness. 
> 
> He woke up screaming.

Nervous about the diviner's intentions, Jack removed the cork from his bottle with shaking hands and took a small sniff at its contents. It had a bitter scent, but it wasn’t strong. He glanced up at the diviner, still wary.

The diviner simply gave him a cool smile and tipped back his own bottle.

Letting out a quick breath, Jack pressed the red bottle to his lips and tipped it back. The second the liquid hit his tongue he recoiled. It was extremely bitter and tart, and it felt like it dried his mouth instantly. There was also a peculiar texture to it, almost like slimy algae. It was gross.

He went to pull the bottle away, but the diviner stopped him with a hand on his wrist.

“All of it,” he commanded, his eyes piercing Jack’s.

Swallowing hard, his mouth feeling as if it was full of cotton, Jack tipped back the bottle again, chugging it as fast as he could.

It burned, it burned something awful. He felt it sear his insides as if liquid fire was flowing down his throat.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Jack forced himself to drink it all. Every last drop. Once the bottle was empty, he let out a gasp and practically threw the bottle away from him. As he tried to catch his breath the diviner hurried to retrieve the empty red bottle, unharmed from its tumble onto the soft moss.

Jack swallowed hard and shuddered at the horrible, bitter aftertaste lingering in the back of his throat. Wiping a hand across his mouth, some stray liquid came away from his lips. He glanced down at his hand and his stomach immediately twisted with worry and disgust.

The stuff was pitch black, and it did indeed have a bit of a slimy texture. Jack couldn’t help but think of those black tentacles that belonged to the diviner as he stared at the goo.

He felt like he was going to be sick.

Making a face of discomfort, he placed a hand on his stomach. It was gurgling and making all sorts of displeased noises. And then he was suddenly dizzy, his world tilting and spinning ever-so-slightly.

Attempting to hold himself upright with his free hand, Jack glanced at the diviner, his breathing suddenly labored. His lungs burned as if he’d just swam a marathon.

“What- What did you do to me?” Jack gasped, blinking as his head spun.

The diviner grinned and tucked the red bottle back into his robe. “What you asked me to do, silly boy. I’m helping you help your friend.”

Jack gaped at him, and for a moment, it looked as if the diviner’s blue eyes were completely black. Jack blinked again, and they were suddenly back to normal.

Smiling down at him, the diviner crouched down to be eye-level with the Merrow. Just to be sure, Jack searched the diviner’s eyes for any hint of blackness.

“Just remember,” the diviner started. “You owe me. I wouldn’t do anything stupid once you’re out in the real world. You’d best stick close to your friend, or you might not see your tail, family, or friends ever again.”

Jack tried to ask him what he meant, what he owed him, but the diviner placed two fingers right between the Merrow’s eyes.

With a brilliant flash of green, Jack’s eyes suddenly slipped shut, and he was swallowed by darkness. 

 

He woke up screaming.

 

Jack jolted upright, a sharp, aching pain resonating throughout his tail. Immediately looking down at it, he gripped it tight, afraid of what was happening.

As another wave of agony passed through him, he felt the strangest and most horrifying sensation in his hips.

It felt like they were splitting apart.

Jack whimpered as the sensation grew stronger and stronger. And then he heard a tearing sound before he felt it.

Like a growing rift in the sand, the scales across his lap began to rip apart. Horrified, Jack watched with tears running down his face as the once beautiful green and blue scales turned grey and started falling away. The tear traveled down the length of his tail until it reached his fin. Without warning the fin quickly split in two, almost tearing away from his tail completely.

And he screamed even more.

As more and more of his scales died and fell away, the rift in the middle of his tail grew deeper. He didn’t want to watch, but he couldn’t bring himself to tear his eyes away from the mutilation.

Strands of flesh stretched across the tear before breaking and dancing in the water like sadistic ribbons. A few traces of blood swirled about, and Jack continued to sob and cry out.

Unable to stand it anymore, he squeezed his eyes shut and fell onto his back, causing a plume of sand to billow around him. Sobbing, he shifted onto his side and curled into the fetal position, afraid he might be dying.

He felt the tearing sensation stop, but the pain was still there. It came in throbbing waves and made him tremble.

Then his bones began to break.

With a _sna-crack_ Jack felt his tail bone snap. Screaming like the wounded animal he was, he wrapped his arms around his head and held on for dear life.

_Let this end, just let this end!_

He cried out as he felt more bones break and readjust like they were morphing. There was also a terrible burning sensation in his nose, where his gills were.

And then suddenly, it was over. The pain ebbed away, the grotesque sounds ceased, and the water around him was still.

Panting, Jack blinked and looked down at his tail. His face turned the whitest shade possible and his breath left him.

His beautiful tail was gone. The only evidence indicating that it was ever there were a few dead grey scales lying about, already on their way to being completely dissolved.

In its place, were a pair of legs. Human legs.

For a moment Jack just stared at them, not breathing, not even moving.

Then he shrieked like a little Merrchild and scrambled away from them.

But as he tried to scream, water rushed into his mouth, and he suddenly found himself choking. He tried to breathe but found that just made it worse.

_My gills! They’re-They’re gone!_

He needed to get to the surface. Now.

Looking up, he could see the sun glittering on the surface of the water above him. Steeling his nerves, Jack used his arms to try and pull himself up and through the water.

But he floundered like a newborn deer, unable to use his legs. He went nowhere.

Fearing he might actually drown, Jack looked around. There must be something he could do to get up there!

 

Suddenly, a bright green blur darted into Jack’s line of sight. And the Merrow’s heart soared.

_Sam!_

The little green fish zipped right up to the Merrow and nuzzled his face, chirring and gurgling like crazy. Jack quickly wrapped his arms around his companion and pointed towards the surface. Sam chirped and put all of his strength into swimming towards the surface. The little fish managed to pull Jack up a few feet, and Jack started kicking his new legs like he would his tail. It didn’t feel at all right, but he helped boost them faster towards the air above.

 

Jack gasped as his head broke through the surface of the ocean. His hair hung in his eyes, and he couldn’t see, but he could breathe, and that was glorious. Coughing violently a few times dispelled some of the water out of his lungs, and although they burned, he filled them with as much fresh air as he could.

Sam stayed under the Merrow’s arm, keeping him afloat. His big blue eye stayed trained on Jack’s face.

With another cough, Jack cleared his hair from his eyes and took a moment to look around. He could see the cave where he left Mark about five hundreds yards away and was relieved to find it was so close.

Looking down at Sam, Jack pointed to the cave.

“Over there boy,” he panted.

Sam blinked at him, a slight look of confusion coming over his face. But nonetheless, he gurgled and started swimming in that direction.

 

In a matter of minutes, the duo reached the rocky lip of the cave. Shifting to cling desperately to the rocks, Jack looked at Sam. The little fish was watching him, no doubt confused and worried.

_I… I can’t keep him here. Who knows how long it’ll be before I can return home…_

That thought made his heart sink.

Taking a deep breath, Jack slowly turned and lifted his new right leg. As the little appendages he knew as toes poked through the gently rolling surface of the water, he stared at them. He managed to wiggle them slightly.

Sam turned to see what Jack was looking at, and when he saw the toes he freaked.

Squeaking and clicking, Sam darted towards the toes and tried to bite them. Jack quickly let his leg sink back under the water and snatched up his companion.

“Whoa Sam hold on! Those are mine!”

Sam gurgled aggressively and glanced up at him.

“I’m… I’m human now,” Jack explained softly, coming to terms with what had probably happened to him. “There’s someone I need to help, and this is the only way.”

Blinking, Sam gurgled in surprise and let out a small huff. Jack couldn’t stop the tears that stung his eyes.

“I-I need you to go home, stay out of sight. No one can know I’m gone, okay?”

Shaking his whole body back forth furiously to practically scream ‘no way’, Sam chittered and snuggled up against Jack’s chest.

With a soft sigh Jack hugged him tight. “I’m sorry buddy but this is the only way.” He gently pushed the fish away.

“Go home Sam. I’ll be back before you know it.”

For a moment he wasn’t sure if the fish was going to listen, if he was going to do as he was told.

But with a sad little huff, Sam sank below the surface and disappeared. After about a minute of no sign of the little fish, Jack assumed he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long absence! I'll be posting regulalry again :D
> 
> ~Cal


	17. New Acquaintances?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Where is he?"

Taking a deep breath, Jack wiped at his eyes. _He’ll be fine. He can make it back without any trouble. I know he’ll be fine._ He mostly just wanted to try and reassure himself, extremely worried about his companion.

But his thoughts were immediately dispersed as a pained grunt echoed from within the cave behind him.

_Mark._

Managing to turn himself around, Jack clutched the edge of the cave and peered inside.

 

With the sun now halfway to its highest point, Jack could easily see Mark’s slumped form within the cave. He was still but breathing heavily.

 

Unsure of how to get in the cave, Jack tried to haul himself up onto the rocky slope. If he had his tail, he could give himself a boost with a powerful kick or two, but with these legs, he was left flailing and splashing helplessly.

At such a racket, Mark suddenly growled weakly and lifted his head.

He squinted for a moment before letting out a cough, the growl dying in his throat. “F-Fish boy?”

Jack paused in his struggling and looked towards Mark. God he looked awful.

Beads of sweat clung to his much paler skin. His black hair was damp with the stuff and stuck to his forehead. His brown eyes were half-lidded like he had a hard time keeping them open. The majority of his right hand, which was still covering the wound on his side, was covered in blood. A small pool of red had formed around him.

Jack nodded. “Yeah, it’s me.”

Mark nodded once and let his head fall back against the wall. “I figured I s-scared you off.”

With a scoff, Jack tried once again to haul himself out of the water. “It’ll take more than that to get rid of me.”

Mark closed his eyes and fell silent again, probably weak and exhausted.

 

Jack let out a grunt as he finally managed to throw himself onto the rocks. Panting from his efforts, Jack crawled forward until he was completely free of the water. With a breath of relief he paused, resting on his hands and knees. Once he caught his breath, he crawled to Mark’s side, careful to not get any blood on his hands.

Mark opened his eyes again and looked towards the Merrow. “Di… Did you find that bastard?”

“The diviner?”

Mark nodded.

With a small sigh to himself Jack dipped his head to look at Mark’s wound. “I did.”

Mark looked at the ceiling with an exhale of relief. “Good. That would explain your hair then.” He winced and closed his eyes, swallowing hard.

Jack cocked his head. “My hair?”

Mark waved a bloody hand. “Ah don’t worry about it. What did he tell you?”

At the question Jack tensed and cleared his throat. “Um, he told me he could help…”

“Well, that’s good. That is why I sent you to him,” Mark stated sarcastically, obviously growing impatient.

The Merrow was quiet for a moment.

“He… he turned me into a human,” Jack finally murmured.

Mark’s eyes snapped open wide, and his gaze darted to the Merrow. He quickly looked down to where Jack’s tail was supposed to be. Sure enough, he saw human legs.

And perhaps a little too much of something else. His face flushed red and he quickly looked away.

“Oh. Oh that’s...,” Mark cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. Um…” He glanced at Jack once again, his face growing even redder.

“You… You don’t happen to have any pants, do you?”

Jack cocked his head and gave Mark a confused frown. “No, why? Do you need different ones?”

Mark shook his head and cleared his throat. “N-No I don’t need them. You do.”

Such a suggestion made Jack even more confused. _Why is his face so red?_

“Why?”

Quickly opening his mouth, Mark went to reply, but he apparently decided against whatever he was going to say and shook his head.

“N-Nevermind. I’m sorry you were turned into a human.”

Still concerned about the pants, Jack studied Mark’s face. “It’s alright I guess.”

“If it’s any consolation, you still smell like a fish.”

Jack’s worried gaze dropped from Mark’s face to the floor and turned sour.

“But you being human does help us,” Mark reassured quickly.

Jack lifted his head, hopeful.

_This better be fuckin’ useful, or else I just gave up my tail for nothing!_

“How so?”

Mark shifted and winced as his wounds complained. “I need you to call for help. But you can’t do that from in here. You’ll have to go out onto the beach. And with those legs of yours,” he nodded toward said legs, “You can easily get there.”

Jack hesitated as he thought about Mark’s proposition. Go out to the beach? In plain sight? With no way of escape?

He swallowed hard and gave Mark a concerned look. “What do I do once I’m out there?”

With a grunt of pain, Mark reached into the pocket of his trousers. Withdrawing his hand, he turned it over and opened it, revealing a wooden whistle.

 

It was made of a dark wood, cherry red in color. The grains were clearly visible, decorating the whistle with a natural pattern of dark lines and swirls. It was long and thin, and just small enough to fit into the palm of Mark’s hand.

 

Mark reached out and grabbed Jack’s wrist, smearing it red with blood. He firmly placed the whistle in Jack’s palm and forced his fingers closed around it.

“Blow on this. Three long whistles. That’ll call for help.”

Grimacing Mark pulled back his hands to the wound on his side. “Go, before I black out.”

 

Opening his hand, Jack studied the whistle. “How will I know if it works?”

Mark smirked and closed his eyes. “You’ll know. Now go.”

Looking up at Mark, Jack bit his lip. _Guess I have no other choice…_

Using the cool stone wall for support, Jack slowly rose to his feet. Legs trembling, he kept his eyes straight ahead.

 

He called on the first memories of his mother teaching him how to swim much faster and with much more precision. He’d only been about two or three years old at the time.

_“Look where you want to go,”_ she’d said, the sun beaming into the water, making it glitter all around her. _“Don’t worry about your tail or how to move it. Just feel your way through the water and see your path.”_

Jack took a deep breath and slide his left foot back an inch. He felt the muscles in his new legs working, and his brain seemed to immediately catch on. His right foot slid back, then his left again, then the right. Before he knew it he was inching back towards the entrance, his hand still supporting him on the wall.

Feeling victorious with the small progress, Jack turned and pressed his back against the wall, catching the little bit of breath he’d lost. After a few seconds of rest, he gingerly eased himself off the wall and faced the gaping mouth of the cavern.

Moving forward was a bit of a challenge, yet with small shuffling steps and his hand still on the wall, he finally made it to the edge of the rocky abode.

 

Jack let out a series of heavy breaths as the salty ocean air brushed against his face and tousled his hair. Curling his toes against the rocky surface beneath his feet, he looked around.

To the right of the cave was where the rock abruptly ended, dropping off into shallow water. To the left, the rock continued for a little while, sloping gently until it disappeared into the sandy shore.

Steeling his resolve, the Merrow took a shaky step to the left down the rocky path, then another, and then another. Soon enough he was free of the rocky cavern wall and walking all on his own. Elated and thrilled by his success, he took small yet confident strides towards the warm sand.

That first step onto the warm sand was something else. As his foot rested against the grainy heat, he froze. It was a glorious sensation, that warm sand. The pleasant heat seemed to travel up his leg and throughout his body, making him shiver. Had he not been on such an important “mission” Jack would have surely collapsed into a pleased pile to cover himself with the stuff.

The Merrow couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel against his tail. Would probably do a world of good for his scales. Make them all shiny and smooth.

Shaking his head, Jack pushed all thoughts of his tail from his head. _I can't think about that know. Once I get Mark some help, I can have my tail again._

With that thought in mind, he brought the delicate whistle to his lips.

_I wonder how this will call for help. Surely it can save Mark. I can do this then see about getting my tail back. If I can that is…_

Not wanting to give himself time to dwell on the possibility that he might never get to have his tail again, he closed his lips around the end of the whistle and drew a deep breath.

 

_Trrweeeet! Trrweeeet! Trrweeeet!_

 

Three long cries of the whistle. Just like Mark had said.

The voice of the whistle was rather high-pitched, and although Jack had only heard them from a distance in previous encounters, this sounded unusually shrill. It made his ears ring with how loud and sharp the sound was.

Wincing slightly, Jack looked around expectantly. The whistle was blown, now where was that help? He craned his head back and peered at the sky.

Nothing was there, just a couple of birds. 

Letting out a sigh, Jack turned to his right, where the ocean was lapping at the sandy shore. He wanted nothing more in that particular moment than to leap into the rolling waves and disappear into the depths. His heart began to ache for home, even though it had only been a few hours or so since he was last there. Perhaps it was the prospect of not being able to return home ever again that made him yearn for that familiar comfort.

The Merrow fought back tears as he quickly turned his back on his natural element, not wanting to riddle his heart with such negative thoughts. 

It wasn't even noon yet, and the day had already been an emotional wreck.

Jack squeezed his eyes shut, willing his tears back to where they came from.

As he stood there with eyes closed and fists clenched, a strong wind suddenly came out of nowhere. The gust nearly toppled the Merrow right over.

Surprisingly, Jack managed to keep his footing as he stumbled. His eyes snapped open and immediately looked to the sky, fearing a storm might be moving in.

Yet it was not a menacing cloud that was moving in.

Descending from the sky at a terrifyingly rapid pace were three creatures. There was one similar to Mark, a man with only pants and no shirt. His wings were massive, definitely larger than Mark’s, and tan at a glance. He was too far away to make out any specific details.

On either side of him, were two humongous beasts. Jack could see they were canines of some sort, with horns sprouting from their heads. Their wings dwarfed Mark’s and the other man’s, as they were nearly three times larger. One beast was grey, the other dark brown.

 

As Jack stared up at the fast-approaching trio, the red whistle slipped from his hand and dropped to the sand. After that split second of awe and confusion, intense fear took over Jack’s instinctive drive. He took a few steps back, set on running for his life.

And yet his new legs just weren’t up for the task yet.

Jack tried to turn and run, but his feet became tangled amongst each other and he tripped, flopping unceremoniously onto the sand. His breath left him in a rush as his chest and stomach collided with the firm ground.

Frantic, he looked over his shoulder. The trio was now coming in for a landing. As they grew closer, the wind became stronger, forcing Jack to shield his eyes from the sand that was beginning to blow around. Then with a series of massive _thuds_ and _thumps_ , the wind ceased and all was quiet. But only for a moment.

Jack lifted his head to look at the new arrivals just as one of the canine beasts reared back its head and let out a roar. The very power of the bellow was enough to rattle Jack’s bones and make the edge of the water ripple.

Completely caught off-guard by the display of obvious power, Jack let out a yelp and ducked his head down, squeezing his eyes shut and covering his head with his arms.

_Holy hell who are these guys?! Is this the help Mark was talking about?_

The beast finally quit its bellering, and there was some shuffling of feet. Jack came out of “hiding” to see what they were doing, only to come face-to-face with the man. The Merrow didn’t have time to react before the man grabbed a handful of Jack’s hair and pulled him upright, forcing him to stare into unfamiliar brown eyes.

Jack immediately clawed at the man’s wrist. “Gah! Let g-!” The man didn’t let him finish. 

“Where is he?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy! :3


	18. A Whole New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yet what he saw beyond the window was incredible.

His voice was menacing and growly. And his cold eyes made Jack shudder.

“Ggh, in-in the cave!” Jack managed to catch a glimpse of the man’s black hair before the man practically shoved him away and straightened.

Turning to the two beasts, he motioned for the grey one. Together the two of them headed for the cave while the brown creature stayed put, its glowing blue eyes never leaving the prone Merrow.

Jack slowly sat up and watched the man and beast walk away. He occasionally glanced back at his babysitter, afraid it might attack him.

Yet all the thing did was lick its chops and sit on its haunches. And although it seemed relaxed, Jack could see a dangerous gleam in the creature’s eyes. He took the time he had to fully study the creature.

It was a dark brown, with a slightly lighter shade on its belly. Its nose was black and the eyes were a solid glowing blue. The wings, folded neatly at its sides, were an even darker brown, with white spots. There was a tail as well, long and seemingly covered with fur and feathers. It had a pointed tip and looked incredibly sharp. He also took note of the hind legs. They were different from the front paws. Instead, they looked like a bird’s or something, with three main toes, a smaller hind toe, and four wicked talons.

Jack shuddered at the possibilities of what the beast used those for.

 

Thankfully, the man and other beast soon came trotting back within a few minutes, with Mark draped across the grey one’s back. And even though Jack was terrified for himself, he couldn’t help the twinge of pain that shot through his heart.

Mark’s wings were dull and limp, barely brushing against the sand as his ride walked. His eyes were closed and his skin was pale. Blood shimmered against his right side, while his hands, just as limp as his wings, dripped with the stuff.

While Jack silently worried over Mark, the man turned to the brown beast and jerked his chin towards the Merrow. Without hesitation, the creature rose to its massive paws and padded towards Jack. Immediately noticing it, Jack scurried away, feared he might be killed.

_Do they think I hurt him? Surely they don’t! They saw me with the whistle, right? Gods this could be bad._

Thinking of the whistle, Jack quickly scanned the sand for the beautiful object. Just as his eyes settled on it, the beast stopped, towering over him. Believing it could be his saving grace, Jack dove for the whistle.

As he did, the creature snarled and reared back, becoming even more menacing. Jack snatched up the whistle, curled into a ball, and shut his eyes.

With an earth-rumbling _th-thud!_ the beast brought itself back down on four paws. Jack opened his eyes to see that those giant front paws were now on either side of his head. And those glowing blue eyes were inches from his own.

As Jack stared into those eyes with uncontrollable terror, the man’s voice reached him through the beast’s heavy breathing.

“Get on, and we’ll let you live.”

_Get on? Get on this monster?!_

“W-What?”

The man let out a very loud, very irritated sigh and stomped over to the Merrow. Within a split second, he’d grabbed Jack’s arm, yanked him to his feet and dragged him to the creature’s side, careful to avoid the massive wing. 

At such a fast pace of standing, Jack quickly lost his balance. To prevent falling right over, he quickly grabbed onto the brown fur before him as the man released his arm. The beast growled as Jack’s fingers dug into its coat. Yet before Jack could let go, fearing the beast might turn on him, the man grabbed the Merrow’s left shin and lifted him onto the back of the creature.

Too shocked to even shout for the man to stop, Jack scrambled to right himself in the middle of the beast back. Just as he managed to grab a handful of the surprisingly thick mane of fur on the creature’s withers with the whistle still firmly in his grasp, the beast suddenly crouched and opened its wings, wiggling its hind end as its muscles tensed.

Jack knew immediately what was going to happen. “Wait! Sto-!”

The creature launched itself from the sand, its wings pushing downwards to propel it higher into the air.

Figuratively leaving Jack’s stomach and heart in the sand below. As his organs seemingly rolled and dropped away, so did his breath. The Merrow gasped and tried to scream as the ground quickly became a dizzying distance away. Yet he couldn’t, as the creature was flying too fast for him to even catch his breath. Overwhelmed and terrified, he shut his eyes and held on. 

With continual flaps of its wings, the beast rose higher and higher before tilting itself to the side, turning back towards the island and leveling out. The ride went from jerky and gut-wrenching to smooth and calm.

Jack hesitantly opened his eyes and looked around. All he could see was whiteness. For a split second, he thought he’d died. Then there was a break in the white, and he could see the island, far below him.

“Woah,” he breathed, the fear slowly ebbing from his body. The view was simply stunning.

Sunlight sparkled off the rippling blue ocean, and the white crests of the waves seemed to devour the rocks they crashed against. Jack could see a few sharks meandering among the pale shallows, no doubt hunting for fish. The shoreline was a beautiful and perfect border to the trees that he could now see covered the island. And even though he was very high up, he still couldn’t see the entire mass of land. He never realized how large Lezeke was. A breeze was making the leaves of the palms dance, and they too threw off glints of light, making the whole island seem alive and made of green and blue crystal.

“It’s so beautiful,” the Merrow murmured.

_‘You’re certainly a strange one.’_

Jack tensed and looked around. _Did somebody just say something?_

_‘Down here, moron.’_

Incredibly confused, Jack looked over the shoulder of the beast he almost forgot he was on and searched for… something. Something that could talk, because something was calling him a moron.

“Who’s there?”

_‘Oh my gods.’_

Something suddenly smacked Jack across the back of his head. He yelped and whipped his head around to see what it was. His eyes widened when he saw the tail of the beast, curled and poised like a snake about to the strike. As Jack stared at the appendage, the beast snorted.

_‘It’s me you idiot. I’m the one talking.’_

Jack turned back to the beast’s head and saw that one blue eye was staring right at him.

_Could it be…?_

“It's… you?”

_‘Yes.’_

The Merrow blinked and shook his head slightly. “But… I can hear you in my head. How are you-"

_‘I won't bother explaining it to you. Far too complicated for your human brain.’_

“I’m not a human.” Even though he may look it, Jack refused to believe that he was completely human. He could still talk to Sam and understand him, and he didn’t feel void of some of his Merrow magic. And he was going to make sure these people knew it, for something told him they were not keen to outsiders on the island.

_‘Oh yeah? Then why do you look and smell like one?’_

Jack bit his lip and avoided the beast’s gaze. “It’s… It’s a long story.”

He didn’t want to think about his transformation, how painful and mortifying it was. And thinking back to the diviner just made his blood boil.

The creature seemingly rolled its eyes and looked straight ahead. _‘Let me guess, you ran afoul of some wizard and he turned you from your true form into a human.’_ There was definitely a tone of sarcasm in the beast’s tone.

Jack heard the creature scoff out-loud, not just in his head.

_‘Happens to ‘em all apparently.’_

Going to protest, Jack cut himself off. Why bother arguing now? He could easily have Mark vouch for him, and explain the whole situation.

The Merrow shrugged and looked down at the passing scenery below. They were just about to pass over the island and leave the water behind. A strange yearning rose in his heart, and a wave of sadness washed over him. He was leaving his home behind, not intentionally of course, but he yearned to go back immediately. Already he missed Sam, and his rock, and his friends, and his family.

_‘Is something wrong? You reek of sorrow.’_

Jack ignored the beast. What if his last meal with his family was the one he had before he left? When they all sat together, and actually seemed to enjoy each other’s company for once.

He couldn’t stop the tears that welled up in his eyes, making the slowly disappearing ocean blurry.

_I just wanna go home..._

The creature suddenly cleared its throat and sighed. _‘So uh, what’s your name?’_

Jack blinked, the tears falling from his eyes to stream down his cheeks only to be swept away by the wind. “What?”

_‘Your name.’_

“Oh. Jack.”

_‘Cool, now I can stop calling you moron.’_

Ignoring the comment, Jack rubbed at his eyes and sniffled. “Do you have a name?”

_‘Sure do. Name’s Ethan.’_

“Nice to meet you, Ethan,” Jack muttered sarcastically. Ethan chuckled, and Jack could feel the vibration of the act through his legs as they gripped Ethan’s sides.

Before they could pursue their conversation further, Jack looked up to see where they were going and froze.

Just ahead, sprouting up from the trees like some massive horn, was the dead volcano.

Jack shivered as he stared at the dark hulking mass. There were many stories about the volcano among his people, that it was a black scar on the island. Some tablets called it the ‘Bringer of Darkness and Flame’.

He recalled one series of tablets he read that was written by one of the first Merrows to really explore the island and what lies above the water. There was a section where the Merrow explained how she believed there was a creature sleeping deep within the volcano, and that it was the cause for the fire that poured forth.

The thought of something that monstrous sleeping within the volcano made Jack shudder.

And yet to his horror, it seemed Ethan was flying straight towards it.

“Um, where are we going?”

Ethan shook his head, ears flapping against his skull. _‘You’ll see. We’re almost there.’_

Tears forgotten, Jack’s unease grew as they flew straight for the mouth of the volcano. Ethan angled upwards, flying parallel with the rock for a moment until he was high above it, before suddenly diving down, straight for the gaping darkness of the hollow mountain.

Forced to hunker down against Ethan’s back by the stinging wind, Jack held on for dear life and shut his eyes. If he was about to be swallowed up by some fiery beast, he’d much rather not see it.

Ethan dove straight into the darkness, not hesitating in the slightest. His wings tucked to his sides, he sliced through the air, descending deeper into the volcano.

He suddenly opened his wings just enough to slow himself down, and banked to the right. Unbeknownst to Jack, the beast darted into a large tube in the rock, and leveled out, simply hovering through the darkness.

 

With the wind much calmer now, Jack sat up and tried to look around. But it was so dark, he couldn’t see hardly anything. The only light source available was the blue glow from Ethan’s eyes, and that didn’t illuminate much.

_‘Uh, sorry Jack, but rules are rules.’_

Jack furrowed his brow at the sudden words.

“What?”

Then something smacked against the side of his head, and he knew nothing more.

 

The sound of dripping water is what stirred him.

Jack groaned and rolled over, his head throbbing and body aching. He forced himself to open his eyes and was met with rough, but definitely carved stone. Sitting up, he took in his surroundings as he rubbed the right side of his head, where a knot had already formed.

He was in a cell. In front of him, crooked iron bars blocked him off from a large room with a single table and chair and a wooden door. Two blank rock walls were on either side of him, and when he craned his head to look behind him, he saw a similar wall, yet it had a barred window. Sunlight beamed through the window, warming Jack ever-so-slightly. Slowly rising to his feet, not thinking too much about how wobbly he still was on the new appendages, he stumbled to the window and gripped its grimy ledge.

The window wasn’t very large, about the size of his head, and at eye level.

_Ethan knocked me out, that I’m sure of,_ Jack thought as he peered out into the bright light, blinking away spots. _So where did he take me? I thought we were in the-_

Yet what he saw beyond the window was incredible.

 

It was a massive rounded cavern, with a large hole in the ceiling, where the sun poured in and illuminated the whole place. Rocky cliffs, mostly dark grey in color, covered every wall, green moss clinging to their edges. Sharp rocks seemed to hang from the ceiling, while even more, less sharp ones reached up from the floor. Jack discovered that he was relatively high up, for he could see the entirety of the floor below.

Tall green grass and a few trees were littered among the pointed rocks, and worn paths weaved through the rocks. In the center was a large spring. Crystal clear water rippled in the pool as the center bubbled and poured new water into the spring. A few birds he didn’t recognize were gathered around or in the water, cleaning their wings or dipping their long beaks into the water.

Looking up, Jack gazed in wonder at the pointed ceiling rocks. As he did, he noticed strange structures among them. They almost looked like dwellings, like little houses all clustered together. All of them similar, they were round with numerous windows and very large entrances. And bustling about like a colony of bees, were people, just like Mark.

Men, women, children, all with wings on their backs, went about their day. Some were carrying large jars, others bundles of sticks, while the children chased each other, shrieking and trying to catch each other.

And Jack was struck with awe. It was like a whole other world, one of mystery and grace. Perhaps he was dead, and this was where the gods lived.

Yet his wonder was cut short when the bars of his cells were suddenly struck, making a warbled ringing sound echo throughout the room.

Quickly turning around with his ears ringing, he saw the man from before and two new men standing outside his cell. They each carried a wicked spear with a curved blade and wore only trousers. Their wings were folded against their backs, yet slightly open to no doubt make them look intimidating.

As Jack gazed upon them with more uncertainty than fear, the man from before opened the cell and jerked his chin, his black hair bobbing with his movements.

“Take him. Let’s see what he knows.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep! It's Ethan! More peeps to follow :3
> 
> ~Cal


End file.
